New Melton South coach Heath Pritchard is uncertain when spearhead Brendan Fevola will play again with the Panthers.
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Pritchard cannot even be certain whether Fevola will play again at all in the Ballarat Football League this season.
He said Fevola continued to be troubled by an Achilles tendon issue after surgery in the off-season.
“He wants to play. It’s a week-to-week thing.”
Pritchard is hopeful Fevola gets fit enough to return, but right now it is a wait-and-see scenario.
“We need him,” said Pritchard, who is preparing to lead the Panthers in a second game against East Point at Melton Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Pritchard said he had been constantly fielding questions on Fevola since replacing Ash Manning as coach.
“He’ll play when and if his fitness allows him to play.”
What Melton South can be sure about is that if even Fevola does get the all clear to return to the BFL that it will not be before its clash with Redan on Saturday, July 7.
Fevola is scheduled to make a guest appearance with South Burnie in Tasmania on Saturday and another with Ardmona in northern Victoria on Saturday, June 30.
As much as Pritchard would like to see Fevola back in the Panthers’ line-up, he said the club had been aware since the start of the season about these one-off commitments.
Pritchard said with all respect to the other competitions, the level of fitness required to play in the BFL was much greater than the Darwin Football Association (Tasmania) and Kyabram District Football League.
He said lining up in these games might act as training runs and give Fevola an opportunity to test his achilles.
Pritchard said if Fevola could get through each unscathed, he might be right to return to the Panthers.
Fevola has played just one match this season with Melton South – kicking four goals against Lake Wendouree in round six.
Pritchard said even in that game Fevola had struggled to get through four quarters, with the foot “black and blue’ post match.
Melton South is enduring a frustrating season, being winless in seven games despite another vigorous recruiting drive.
Fevola joined the Panthers as a joint coach with Sean Triplett last season.
Triplett stepped aside to take on a football manager’s role with the club this year, with Fevola being joined by Ash Manning in a new coaching partnership.