After the two zones decided to adopt a 14 team one round format in favour of a conference structure, all that remains now is for the draw to be finalised.

Central North president Tony Byrnes said on Wednesday the hope is to distribute a draft draw to the clubs over the next couple of days.

The clubs will have the opportunity to provide their feedback before the draw is bedded down.

“I think we are all now looking forward to getting into this combined competition,” Byrnes said.

The competition is scheduled to kick-off around the first weekend in April.

Representatives from the two zones met recently to settle on a format.

“We decided we needed a season that was not too long, and one that provided full integration,” Byrnes said.

The best format to do that, it was felt, was a one round competition with all the clubs playing each other once, with the draw to be reversed in 2019.

“From a Central North perspective, they want to have a crack at all of the Armidale clubs,” Byrnes said.

“A truly integrated competition is the only one that provides that.”

“It also gives us a better idea right across the 14 clubs of the standard that we’ve got.”

After the completion of the home and away season the top six teams will break off to play a six team finals series.

Byrnes said it was about providing the best possible benefit to most clubs, but accepts that there will be some issues that some clubs will have to deal with.

“We’ve tried to minimise travel as much as possible,” he said.

That will albeit affect the New England clubs more than the Central North clubs, who are already accustomed to traveling.

“Some going from zero to a lot of travel,” Byrnes said.

“But they are willing to do that.”

He said the addition of the four Armidale clubs will provide more feature games.

Recognising the value and importance of maintaining their derbies, the draw will also include an extra round to cater for those.

“What we’ve also factored into this format is we will have a special round called the derby round,” Byrnes said.

One of the hopes of the revamped competition was that it would provide more opportunities for players, and Byrnes indicated their is the possibility of an eight-team third grade competition and eight-team women’s competition.

That isn’t factoring in colts, although what the colts picture will look like next season is still unclear.

Brynes said there is a possibility that if numbers are a bit light on for the 19s that club might make up numbers for a third grade club.

But that is only a bit of a last resort.

“We still want to have a discreet colts competitions - 17s and 19s,” he said.