The Ballarat Football League season is on hold with the COVID-19 virus having brought sport to a standstill.
AFL Victoria has suspended all aspects of community football until at least May 31.
Hopes remain that an abbreviated football season might be able to be played.
If this comes to realisation, let's take a look at how teams will shape up.
New Sebastopol coach Michael Searl says the delay to the start of the BFL season had been a hard pill to swallow for his players.
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Searl said the opening round - a grand final rematch against East Point - had meant so much.
He said they had been gutted after building throughout the pre-season for another go at the Kangaroos.
Searl said at the time of the COVID-19 shutdown Sebastopol was already well advanced with match day simulation.
"We'd ramped up match play. We were having full-scale matches."
The process included going as far as video reviews.
Searl said he had arrived at Sebastopol knowing the club was on the track.
"We don't need to make dramatic changes.
"We need to find that extra few percent to make the difference."
He said it was a matter of making some modifications and continuing the development of the past few seasons.
ON THE FIELD
Searl said he had already been impressed by progress made by the recruits the club had attracted.
He said he was particularly impressed by the experienced Michael Lockyer. "He's been excellent."
Adam Haslett has been developing as a half back, Connor O'Shea had introduced needed midfield pace - an area identified as needing improvement - and Liam Stow was showing something as a key forward.
Matt Austin is one player to have derived benefit out of season delay.
He had a shoulder reconstruction in the off-season and would have missed several rounds if the home and away series had started as scheduled.
