Two clubs in firing line with board set to weigh up immediate playing futures

It comes after already losing one club from the competition this season, after Deniliquin withdrew from third grade.

The board will meet on Monday night to discuss the future of Leeton and Albury after a string of forfeits.

Leeton did not make the trip to face Wagga City at Conolly Rugby Complex on Saturday.

Both their first grade and second grade games were forfeited.

It is the first time neither team hasn't taken to the field this season but with Leeton given a number of conditions upon their return to first grade this season they will come under scrutiny.

After forfeiting for third time this season at home to Ag College on Saturday, Albury's second grade team is expected to be withdrawn from the competition.

Southern Inland president Warwick Grant was surprised by Leeton's forfeit and intends to have their viability examined.

"They (Leeton) seemed to have everything on the one weekend so I'm hoping it is only a temporary glitch," Grant said.

Their forfeit comes off the back of an 84-7 thrashing of winless Albury last week.

Leeton made the decision to return to first grade this season as part of their 50^th anniversary celebrations.

They initially committed to having three grades before their women's side was withdrawn after forfeiting their first two games of the season.

The Phantoms currently sit in fifth spot on the first grade ladder, just one point behind Tumut with three rounds to play before finals.

After forfeiting on the weekend their second grade side slipped to third, but they are still five points clear of Ag College in fifth.

However the club has been relying on a large number of players to play in both grades.

President Stuart Stout revealed a shortage this weekend made the trip to Conolly Rugby Complex untenable.

"We only had less than 20 and a few of the blokes with work and family commitments had to pull out of there was just no way we were going to get a team across there and even if they did it was going to be unsafe to play two games," Stout said.

"We would have ended up getting more injuries which meant we would have struggled for the last three games.

"We just bit the bullet on this one.

"We'll have this week off, have the general bye next week, there's then three games to go and hopefully we can get through to the end of the season."

Leeton's numbers have taken a hit since the start of the season with a number of players moving on for employment opportunities.

However Stout is confident the club can recover to fulfil their commitments for the remainder of the season with the hopes of at least qualifying their second grade side for the finals.

Player qualification is another potential issue for the club if that scenario unfolds, something Stout is adamant they have covered.

"If Southern Inland wants to play politics that's up to them but our blokes have been playing second grade and first grade," he said.

"We approached Southern Inland for some help with some suggestions and they denied both.

"We can only do what we can do."

Grant confirmed he would seek clarity over their qualification process.

The latest discussions over Leeton's season come after the Southern Inland board rejected a request by the Phantoms to withdraw from second grade and alternatively to allow for their first grade side to play before second grade.