2021 Upper Mid North Coast Rugby Union season abandoned after Mid North Coast board cancels finals

They didn't play a single match in 2020 and when they extended the celebrations into 2021, they fell one game short of a premiership.

As a result they will only go down in the record books as minor premiers with the season declared over.

A 52-27 victory in the Upper Mid North Coast Rugby Union major semi-final on August 14 was declared null and void on August 27 when the Mid North Coast board cancelled the finals due to the ongoing statewide lockdown.

The Vikings will still claim the 2021 minor premiership after a successful campaign throughout the regular season where they finished on top of the ladder.

It just won't end with the chance of a grand final victory on Oxley Oval which left co-captain Adam McCormack feeling "empty".

"It's a bit of an empty feeling. Ideally we would have loved to have played a grand final on Oxley Oval and do it the proper way," he said.

"To have that taken away after a full season of footy is pretty disappointing not only for us and our under-16s, but for all the other teams who won their major semis."

McCormack said the unfinished 2021 season hurt more for more teams than the 2020 campaign because they didn't even begin that season.

"This one probably hurts more because we were one game from it doing it the right way and I understand not getting to play (the finals), but it's pretty heartbreaking for all those teams," he said.

"It's not just our club. Kempsey reserve grade were the best team all year and it's been a while since they've won a premiership. It would have meant a lot to them to be awarded a premiership (after the major semi-final) and they should have got one."

Mid North Coast zone president Peter Gerathy understood McCormack's disappointment, but said there were too many moving pieces required in too short of a timeframe.

They simply ran out of time to get back on the park.

"With the return to play protocols, if you have five weeks off for example, you have to ensure all clubs still playing have a minimum of six training runs," he said.

When the NSW statewide lockdown was extended until August 21 and then out to August 28 and then further until September 10, the rugby season's fate was sealed.

"It would have been six weeks-plus between games which is eight training runs with too many games thrown in there," Mr Gerathy said.

"You've got to take player welfare into account. You can't have players going straight back out there."

Gerathy said the finals competition is for a different trophy to the regular season and it hadn't been completed.

That was why they couldn't hand out a major premiership to the winners of the major semi-finals.

"A minor premier is awarded at the completion of the regular season whereas a major premier is awarded at the completion of the semi-final series," he said.

"We've only had one game in the finals series so it hasn't been completed.

"I can absolutely understand the disappointment within people and clubs, but Marlins, Kempsey and even Bowraville in second grade didn't have the chance to play for that premiership.

"As we didn't complete the semi-finals we couldn't award the trophy."

What else is happening in news, sport?

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: