Football: Big wet delays return home for North Force

Russell Baddeley.

While gutted to not be able to put boot to ball, North Force jokingly say they have forgotten what it is like to play at home.

North Force's game against Forrest Hill on Saturday was postponed due to the weather, meaning by the time they play in front of a home crowd again it will have been seven weeks.

"We can't remember what it's like to play at home," North Force coach Russell Baddeley joked, added the equation was still the same - it's do-or-die.

Baddeley maintained the postponement should still suit North Force as it gave them an extra week to recover from injury and a player to return from overseas.

However, postponement means exactly that as North Force will play the game later in the season regardless of whether or not the match affects the standings - unlike the Rugby League Northland MultiKai Premiership.

Round 15 of the MultiKai Cooker Premiership was washed out over the weekend destroying any hopes the Moerewa Tigers had of making the playoffs.

The Tigers were in a two-horse race for the final sixth place with the Northern Wairoa Bulls, but now have no show.

The Tigers' hopes were slim, as they would have had to have won both their finals games and hope the Bulls lost both their games.

"It was a difficult decision to make, cancelling all the football," Rugby League Northland general manager Alex Smits said. "Especially when the cancellation means that it will end any chances of making the play-offs.

"However the health and safety of teams and travelling supporters is our No1 priority."

The call was vindicated after State Highway 1 and Route 14 to Dargaville were closed on Saturday - which would have meant that any travel North or to Dargaville was ruled out.

Football and league weren't the only sports to be rained out - hockey was called off for the first time in many players' memory.