GROUP Three Rugby League's 2020 competition will kickoff the weekend of April 18/19, however, there will be a general bye the following weekend because of Anzac Day.
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"The clubs weren't keen to play on Anzac Day,'' Group Three chief executive Mal Drury explained.
This was decided at the group's annual meeting held at the Wingham Services Club.
Grand final day will be Sunday September 6 and this will bring the competition into line with the Group Three Junior League, where the grand final will be played on Saturday September 5. Last season the senior competition ended a week before the juniors.
No matches will be played on the June long weekend while a weekend has been set aside in July for deferred fixtures.
However, the clubs voted against playing a pre-season competition and instead will organise their own trial games.
Canterbury Bulldogs' Canterbury Cup side will play a trial game against the North Coast under 23 representative team at the Harry Elliott Oval at Tuncurry on Saturday February 8.
Selectors last month named a train-on squad for the North Coast team to play in next year's Country Championship.
The meeting also confirmed that Kempsey's Verge Street Oval will be the venue for the Group Three Rugby League All Stars/Group Three Indigenous All Stars game on Saturday April 4.
The match was inaugurated in 2018 and played at Wauchope.
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Kempsey was to host this year's game in the pre-season, however, delays in getting the playing strip in time saw the fixture postponed until the June long weekend.
It was eventually cancelled following a number of withdrawals from both sides, although the women's league tag went ahead, with the game transferred to the Harry Elliott Oval at Tuncurry and played with a junior league representative program.
Group Three chief executive Mal Drury said a decision will be made soon on whether the women's All Stars match next year will be league tag or tackle.
"We'll get some input from the players,'' Mr Drury said.
Newcomer on board
THERE will be a new face on the Group Three Rugby League board of management, with Zac Newcombe from Port Macquarie expected to nominate for a vacant position.
Mr Newcombe, who is linked with the Port Macquarie Sharks, expressed an interest in joining the board at the annual meeting held at the Wingham Services Club.
Otherwise there were no changes to the board, with all the incumbents returned. They are chairman Wayne Bridge (Wingham); senior vice president Geoff Kelly (Port Macquarie), junior vice president Warren Blissett (Forster-Tuncurry); chief executive Mal Drury (Taree); directors Ian Andrews (Taree), Jarrod Woodhouse (Taree) and Geoff Kerr (Wingham).
This will be Mr Bridge's 13th term as chairman/president.
Mr Bridge and Ian Andrews will represent the group at the East Coast Region annual meeting to be held at Coffs Harbour on Saturday November 30.
However, Mr Bridge won't be seeking the regional chairman's position.