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MOUNT Pleasant co-coach Darren Walsh says it's an "empty" feeling for his playing group as the latest Victorian regional lockdown has cost the Blues the chance of playing in the Heathcote District league's elimination final.

The HDFNL was to have played its last home and away round on Saturday and then moved into its finals series next weekend.

However, the league had to abandon Saturday's round 18 after all community sport was called off for the weekend following a spike in regional COVID-19 cases centred around Shepparton.

And with Saturday morning's announcement that regional Victoria would again be going back into lockdown until 11.59pm on Thursday, September 2, the HDFNL has also had to abandon week one of its finals series set for August 28 (qualifying) and August 29 (elimination).

As such, all teams that finished fifth on the ladder - which in the senior football is Mount Pleasant - have been knocked out as per the rules put in place by the league this year to deal with such a scenario.

Should the lockdown end on time, the HDFNL seniors will re-start with Lockington-Bamawm United playing Colbinabbin in the second semi-final on September 4 and North Bendigo playing White Hills in the first semi-final on September 5.

Having already shifted its grand final day from September 4 to September 18 earlier in the season, the league won't be re-scheduling its showcase day for a second time.

"It's obviously an unfortunate situation to miss the first week of finals. It's a situation our clubs have been aware of in terms of lowest-placed sides dropping out if we are unable to play finals," HDFNL chairman Peter Cole said.

"We've already pushed our season back two weeks and being a farming community it starts to get into the hay season if we extend it further, so we're staying as is with the September 18 grand final if we can return."

While fifth-placed Mount Pleasant drops out of the senior flag race, in the reserves it's North Bendigo and Leitchville-Gunbower in the under-18s.

"Unfortunately, it's the way it has fallen for us in finishing fifth... there's nothing we can do about it," Walsh said.

"I feel empty for the players who have put in a lot of work. From a coaching point of view we felt we had been building some momentum and were feeling really positive.

"We've been working hard to improve each week, but in the end, we're all healthy and we've still got each other, so you've got to look at the positives as well."

The Blues - who will again be co-coached by Walsh and Adam Baird next year - ended their disjointed 2021 season with a 7-5 record from their 12 games.

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