CAMPBELLS Creek president Scott Jones struggled to get the words out last Thursday night as he stood up in the clubrooms to deliver the Magpies' decision to forfeit their upcoming senior and reserves games.

The Magpies' lack of committed numbers finally reached its tipping point last weekend when the combination of 31 injuries and nine unavailabilities forced the club to make the tough call to withdraw its senior and reserves teams from its away games against Talbot in the Maryborough-Castlemaine District league.

"Last Thursday night, having to stand up in front of the whole club and say we wouldn't be going ahead with seniors and reserves was the toughest thing I've had to do," Jones said on Wednesday.

"Marg (Stevens, secretary) was in tears, so that's how much we're invested into the club... it has become personal.

"It's very tough, but we're busting our backsides behind the scenes.

READ MORE - Relive the 1990 day Campbells Creek kicked 100 goals in a game

"By the end of the season we'll be completely out of debt and will go into 2020 owing money to nobody; we'll have money in the account; we're working hard to get sponsors on board and putting a lot of positive things in place, it's just the on-field results aren't there because we don't have the full commitment (of players) and that's the hardest part."

Campbells Creek's struggles to get a committed group of week-to-week players is highlighted by the Magpies using 55 senior players in their 11 games, just five of which have played every game - Mitchell Kerney, Decklan Singles Jessop, Joshua Hodson, Matthew Lawrence and Shaun Willis.

"We've had a lot of guys who have signed up, played one game and then haven't seen them since," Jones said.

"There's probably a group of 22 to 25 players who are fully committed every week and out of that group there's probably half who are putting their hand up to play two games for us.

"Most weeks for the two games (seniors and reserves) we've got about 30 to 35 players, so there's at least half a dozen doubling up each week to get us up around that 40-mark."

In what is becoming a concerning increasing trend across country Victoria, the Magpies have bore the brunt of some horrendous senior hidings this year, including three by more than 300 points and being held scoreless three times.

Secretary Marg Stevens says there's no hiding from the on-field results - the Magpies have been outscored 437 goals to 17 so far - but she is full of pride for those who pull on the black and white jumper every week, keeping alive a club whose origins stretch back more than 150 years to 1864.

"One of our main focuses throughout the season has been on that core group of senior footballers who are here every week - a lot of whom are playing two games every week - and the courage, heart and passion they are playing with for the jumper," Stevens said.

"I've been here for 25 years and I don't think I've seen as much commitment and dedication as this core playing group who have made it very clear they are here for the long haul and aren't going anywhere.

"If we could have avoided making the forfeit call last week then we would have. We exhausted all avenues before we addressed the playing group last Thursday night.

"We're the executive and being looked to for leadership, so when you've got to stand up in front of the playing group and say, 'sorry boys, we're not playing this week', it's really tough.

"The bottom line though is we had to put player welfare first. We had injured boys here on Thursday night when they realised we couldn't play putting their hands up, but we weren't going to put them at risk and that's why we're comfortable that it was 100 per cent the right call to make."

The Magpies were on their knees and in danger of folding in the off-season before a new committee, headed by president Jones, took on the leadership of the club.

"The club held a crisis meeting with the league last October and it was fairly touch and go there for a while," Stevens said.

"The whole existing committee had left; they had done a marvelous job, but it was their time to move on. The senior coach left and most of the senior players left too, so it was basically a whole rebuild.

"When it got to that point and people realised just how dire it was, we got people to come on to the committee, so I guess when we look back to where we were last October and the fact we're still here with eight of 11 teams playing, to us that's huge."

Despite the hardship the club is enduring, Jones and Stevens are both adamant Campbells Creek - which is not only the junior club of Richmond superstar Dustin Martin, but is also in the Guinness Book of Records for the historic day it kicked 100 goals against Primrose in 1990 - has a future beyond this year.

"There's definitely a next year and beyond," Stevens said.

"We all knew as a committee when we took on these jobs last October that our motto was to just get through 2019... we knew there would be a lot of change and uncertainty, but just get through the year and then really hone in on 2020 and beyond. We've got a committee of 12 this year and they have all been phenomenal."

Stevens says last weekend's forfeit was a one-off and that the Magpies senior and reserves teams will return to the field this Saturday for round 13 away games against Maryborough Rovers, as well as the final three games that will follow.

"By calling a double forfeit, hopefully, it shows a lot of our players just what the position is that we're in and that we need everyone able-bodied out there for us," Stevens said.

"We know there's probably a lot of negativity around that Campbells Creek is finished, but we want to put that to bed... that hasn't entered our minds at all.

"We've actually had a lot of support since we made the call to forfeit last Thursday night.

"Other club presidents have contacted us to see if there's anything they can do, we've had players messaging us on Facebook that they'd be happy to come and play for us if they can get around the fact clearances are shut.

"We've actually got 100 registered players on our books; we shouldn't need to be bringing in any more players, but we obviously need more who are committed to playing out the season with us."

As tough a grind as it has been, Campbells Creek savoured some success earlier in the year when its reserves snapped a 50-game losing streak with a win over Royal Park on May 11.

READ MORE - Campbells Creek reserves win first game in 1358 days

"We're a club that has been around for more than 150 years; Dusty (Martin) is from here, we have a proud history and it's just so worth fighting for," Stevens said.

"Anyone who may have a soft spot for the Creek or who wants to help a struggling club whether it be player or committee-wise, please, get in touch with us."

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