Ballarat Football League senior coaches say they will need greater clarification before players return to training as part of the the first step in the Federal Government's COVID-19 road to recovery plan.
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Most believe direction from AFL Victoria will be essential after the state government gives the all-clear to have players gather in groups of up to 10 to ensure all protocols and conditions are met.
NORTH Ballarat City coach Shane Skontra said he was in no hurry to rush his players back.
He said he was prepared to wait until AFL Victoria provided greater clarity as to how groups were able to operate before finalising a new training program.
A common query among coaches is whether more than one group of 10 is able to train on the same ground at the one time on the condition they keep at an approved distance from each other.
Skontra said he did not see any need to rush players back to structured group training after what had already been a longer than usual pre-season and which could extend to as much as eight months.
He said he had already given his players a break from training to freshen them up mentally - ensuring they maintained a life balance while in self isolation.
BACCHUS Marsh coach Tom German said the Cobras were set to go with the groups of 10 in place since early in the pre-season.
"We have a plan in place. It's been a waiting game. We just have re-ignite what we previously had.
"Everyone's is good shape. It'll just be a matter of seeing what the conditions are," he said.
BALLARAT coach Joe Carmody said he was hopeful that groups could training side-by-side at the same venue while maintaining the appropriate social distancing.
He said it was normal practice to have multiple groups training independently at the same venue in the same session.
Carmody said having second oval at the Swans' base should also provide flexibility.
DARLEY coach Dan Roy said the Devils were keen to get going as soon as possible.
He said the club had already had some of its emerging young leaders overseeing small groups during self isolation.
EAST Point coach Jake Bridges said it was all about doing the right thing as had been a focus from the outset of the lockdown.
He said with small groups already in place the Kangaroos were looking forward to the opportunity of getting back into some ball work to complement the physical conditioning they had been undertaking.
Bridges said ultimately it was all about what was in the best interest of players.
LAKE Wendouree coach Dale Power said the small group model was nothing new for Lakers.
He said this was a standard structure for their pre-season. "It's something we're already adept at."
Power said one problem clubs might potentially face was getting access to sufficient grounds with adequate lighting to cater for more groups than usual - a requirement for quality training given the reduced daylight available.
He joined the call for the need for AFL Victoria to spell out guidelines and ensure clubs were fully informed.
MELTON coach Aaron Tymms said the Bloods had groups of nine players and a coach in place pre-lockdown, so they had a head-start going into the resumption of training.
Tymms said AFL Victoria would have to inform clubs exactly what could be done.
MELTON South coach Heath Pritchard said the Panthers were ready to launch once all the conditions of what to do and what not do were spelt out.
He said they had groups in place before the lockdown was imposed and it would be just a matter of fine tuning.
REDAN coach Jarret Giampaolo said the Lions would not be pushing ahead too quickly, preferring to wait until knowing exactly could be done when step one was introduced.
He said the club had already had solid fitness-base group in place and he was not planning on being too structured at this stage given a timetable for starting a season was still not known.
SEBASTOPOL coach Michael Searl said the Burra was in the process of mapping out a plan for the return.
He said players had already trained and worked in groups of nine plus a leader early in pre-season - a structure he believed was much easier to manage - so the COVID-19 condiitions would not be new.
Searl said they were considering fine tuning the model by grouping midfielders, forwards and defenders with each other.
SUNBURY coach Travis Hodgson said the Lions'' coaching group would be getting together early in the week to begin putting a structure in place.
He said a detailed explanation from football hierarchy would be essential to ensure everyone did the right thing.