The Sebastopol Vikings are back on the pitch, but senior head coach Corey Smith said it would be some time before the game felt normal again.
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The club's senior men's squad resumed training for the first time in two months at Morshead Park on Thursday. Splitting into groups of 10, players were sent to opposite ends of the field, while Smith and a small group of support staff conducted the session from the centre.
The squad stuck to the basics in their first session back, passing between each other and taking shots at goal. Fitness was also a key component as players tried to restore run in their legs after a two-month break.
"We did contemplate not starting but we think the players really want to get back to some sort of normality," Smith told The Courier prior to the session.
"At least they'll be there, able to kick a ball, move around and give us some sort of starting point."
Unlike football and netball where players use their hands, COVID-19 restrictions have had less of an impact on soccer, which is played almost solely with the feet. However the game is a shell of what it once was, with players unable to head the ball or throw it in from the sideline.
Restrictions of 1.5 metres also mean players can't tackle or engage opposition.
"There are a lot of things in terms of warm-ups and patterns of play type stuff that are not contested which we can work on," Smith said.
"But similar to football and netball, without us being able to tackle or get close, it was restricted in what we could do."
Smith said regardless of the restrictions, players were eager to get back on the field.
"The overwhelming response from players is that they'd rather get out and kick the ball than not kick the ball," he said.
The Vikings were poised to enter the Football Victoria state league three north-west competition in red hot form.
After defeating North Melbourne Athletic, the Vikings capped off an undefeated preseason by beating East Brighton 1-0 to advance to the third phase of the FFA Cup.
However the global outbreak of COVID-19 saw play put on hold for two months before Football Victoria gave clubs the green light to return to training on Tuesday.
The club trains every Tuesday and Thursday from 6.30pm.
Earlier this month the club also received the tragic news that senior player Simo Mitrovic passed away in his sleep.
A report into the cause of his death was sent to the coroner.