'We need to play': Queanbeyan Tigers and AFL Canberra clubs push ahead

Clubs and league officials came together for a meeting on Friday to map out a return to play with the competition likely to begin on July 18.

Team nominations have opened with AFL Canberra hoping all six first grade clubs will fill their slots in each grade as they plan for the season to run into mid-October. Discussions also include teams in lower divisions.

Queanbeyan Tigers coach Adrian Pavese admits the club will feel the financial pinch but says his squad is ready to go with clubs to resume full contact training on June 19.

"It is tough. It's certainly put a hole in everything, but for us not to play would be criminal," Pavese said.

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"We need to play, just for the fact that a lot of players paid for registrations and sponsors paid money pre-COVID. To get on the field would be huge so we can honour those commitments. To not get on the field, that'll put a massive strain on us.

"You definitely would like to honour their commitment. We're going to be up against it, there's no doubt. Our club re-opened two weeks ago which is great, they were hoping just to break even at the start just to get people back in.

"Apart from the financial strain, which is obviously going to be there for the next 12 to 18 months, every club is committed to playing.

"It's just a matter of how it all works now with protocols and how many people we can have through the gates. We're all optimistic."

The Canberra Raiders Cup rugby league competition is in jeopardy with a handful of clubs making clear their intentions to withdraw this season.

But AFL Canberra's first grade competition is set to go ahead with clubs looking to field teams across the senior men's, women's, reserves and under 18s leagues.

"We lost a few players that came into town, and with no footy around they got a bit homesick. That's understandable," Pavese said.

"We've had a few blokes who had a few niggles and decided this was the time to have the year off and get their bodies right.

"We'll definitely field two teams in men's, our women's are flying, our under 18s have been a concern but numbers are starting to build. We're ready to go."

AFL NSW/ACT game development manager Luke Martin says dubbing this season as "different" would be an understatement.

"There are conversations about team nominations and now that we have a date for the season, we can really sink our teeth into those and clubs can provide those nominations back," Martin said.

"We've had really good conversations with Cricket ACT [about ground availability], they've been really accommodating to us and the other winter codes.

"We're looking at wrapping up in the first two weeks of October to give them time to have grounds ready for their season."