Newcastle Rugby League have opted to split the competition points between Wests and Lakes after Wednesday night's catch-up match was called off.
The decision was made on game-day morning after Harker Oval had been deemed unplayable. Cahill Oval was also out of action.
A neutral venue or later date were not booked with Wests and Lakes both near the bottom of the ladder and essentially out of finals contention for 2022.
The clubs have a combined nine encounters (Wests 4, Lakes 5) still to play between now and the end of the regular rounds on August 14.
"From our point of view, while it's not ideal, both Wests and Lakes are probably going to be long shots to make the semis. Plus they've still got other catch-up games to play," Newcastle RL chief executive officer Marc Glanville said.
Newcastle RL recently pushed back an already rain-affected season one week amid a backlog of outstanding fixtures.
Wests coach Todd Lowrie says "this year has been more difficult than the last two" as wet weather wreaks havoc with the draw and training. It comes after COVID severely impacted both 2020 and 2021.
Lowrie also highlighted "serious drainage issues" at Harker Oval.
Wests now move to five points, two shy of Lakes (7). This puts them slightly ahead of Kurri Kurri (4) in the battle for the wooden spoon.
For-and-against records for Wests and Lakes will be adjusted based on average scores from the original round.
