Weston regain marquee Michael McGlinchey but have skipper Nathan Morris in doubt as they try to stay on a roll at home against Broadmeadow on Saturday in round 19 of the NNSW NPL.
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Morris was hurt late in the 3-2 win over Maitland on July 2 - the Bears' third victory in a week, which took them to fifth spot on 20 points.
Weston have not played since because of washouts and coach Anthony Richards said it had given McGlinchey time to overcome a calf injury. However, Richards said Morris was only 50-50 to play against Magic because of a back problem.
Richards was confident Saturday's match would go ahead and he hoped his team could repeat recent efforts when they meet third-placed Broadmeadow (26 points), who lost 2-1 to Jaffas on Wednesday. Magic defender Jordan Jackson was sent off and is suspended.
"The washouts have given guys like McGlinchey and Stuey Plant more time to recover but the disappointing part is we were on a bit of a roll from those three games and now we've lost a bit of momentum," Richards said.
Also Saturday, Cooks Hill were to host Olympic. The Jaffas v Valentine match on Saturday at Edden Oval was moved to Sunday at Blacksmiths Oval to improve its chances of going ahead.
On Sunday, Maitland were to host Charlestown in a top-of-the-table clash but that match was called off late on Friday, after Maitland City Council closed all grounds until early next week. Edgeworth face Lake Macquarie on Sunday but that game was also in doubt.
** Northern NSW Football confirmed on Friday a further extension of the season to cater for the backlog of washed games following a meeting with club representatives on Wednesday night.
NPL and Northern League One men's and youth seasons have been pushed back two weeks. Catch-up rounds were added in the NPL for August 13-14 and 27-28, making the final round September 3-4. The NPLW was extended by a week. It comes after seasons were pushed back a week in March.
Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, or other suitable venues, will be used for washed out play-offs. NNSWF also made rule changes across all competitions. They include NNSWF directing matches to be played at alternate venues and dates when clubs fail to reach an agreement and the cancellation of training slot bookings to allow for more games at LMRFF.
It was decided that if matches were not be completed by September 7 (NPLM), September 14 (NPLW) and August 24 (NL1), tables will be calculated on a points per game basis for all teams to determine final positions.
Also, NNSWF removed all 0-0 results allocated to postponed youth matches following feedback from clubs.
NNSWF football operations general manager Liam Bentley was pleased with the outcome.
"It was a really constructive meeting. I want to thank the clubs and their representatives for their input," Bentley said in a statement.
"We wanted this to be a genuine consultation and it was. I feel we've reached the best and fairest way forward, working with the principle that we want as much football played safely as we can.
"We understand that the allocation of matches into the catch-up rounds may impact clubs positively or negatively. But it is our sole intention to provide as much football as possible for our players.
"We would also like to acknowledge the hard work and time put in by our club volunteers in a third consecutive challenging season. It was clear through the club meeting that everyone's key focus was to get as much football played for as many players as possible."
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