THE Narrabri Eagles look set to pull out of the AFL North West season despite opting to take the field in round one this Saturday.
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Scheduled to take on the Tamworth Swans in round one, the Eagles will field a team for the clash but doubt remains whether the club will be able to field a team on a weekly basis.
Eagles vice-president Tom Carberry told the Leader the club's committee voted to play this weekend at a meeting on Tuesday night.
"We did decide to go ahead for this week but to be honest, I dare say will have to go into recess after that," Carberry said.
"Our secretary will meet with the league's competition management committee and see where we go from here."
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Carberry said injuries to several players was a major contributor to the club's current situation.
"As a club we put a lot of things in place such as advertising, to try and recruit more players," he said.
"Unfortunately though, we just weren't able to get enough players together to be viable long-term.
"It's disappointing for sure, but we have tried everything including advertising on radio, in the paper and on social media, and we still haven't picked up numbers."
If the Eagles were to sit out the 2019 season, it would be the second time the club has not taken the field in three years after they opted to withdraw from the competition in 2017.
However, Carberry said he was confident the club could bounce back from a year off.
"I'm sure if we do go into recess though we will be back stronger next year," he said.
"We are currently talking with AFL North West about the possibility of working in more closely with the local schools to help promote the game to the next generation.
"Whatever the case may be, our committee will continue to work hard to make our club strong."