Mr Howse is concerned how the suspension of the Group Nine season will impact his club financially, however conceded there's "bigger fish to fry".

It was announced last week by NSWRL that community rugby league seasons and all organised training is postponed until least May 1, amid concerns of the coronavirus pandemic.

"I'm optimistic but also a realist. You'd think the NRL will go ahead before any bush footy does. And we can't play without a crowd, there's no point, we need bums on seats and people at the canteen," Mr Howse said.

"We're hoping the season gets going at some stage."

Mr Howse said if no football is played this year it could be disastrous for his club financially.

"Two of our major sponsors are licensed premises so we can't expect to be asking them for money when we're not supporting them. Financially it could be disastrous. It's a real bugger of a thing," he said.

"There's still bills that roll in. We can cover them but the cupboard is running a bit bare. We make money at games. People coming through the gate, eat and drink from the canteen and buy raffle tickets. That doesn't start till the season starts.

"We aren't a wealthy club and we're not reliant on a major benefactor like some clubs. We're like someone who has lost their job. The longer the season is put on hold the worse it is for us.

"In saying that, we understand there's bigger fish to fry at the moment than footy clubs."

The Bulldogs have been building towards an improved season in 2020 for the past four to five months.

Mr Howse said numbers were strong across the board.

"Myself, the committee and coaching staff have put in a lot of work. We were only discussing that last night through our group chat. We've invested a lot into this season. If the season doesn't go ahead we've wasted four or five months getting the season together," he said.

"Hopefully we can start training after May 1 and resume the competition at the back end of May or early June. That will give us a few weeks of training."