Sitting. Waiting. Hoping.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
There's little else Sunbury and Melton can do as the two metropolitan-based clubs wait to see if they can make their earned Ballarat Football Netball League finals appearances.
Players and club staff are still housebound under Melbourne's extended lockdown, with footy an understandable afterthought in a testing time.
IN OTHER NEWS:
There's no clear timeline when Melburnians will be allowed to return to community sport.
When restrictions ease, Melton and Sunbury will be guaranteed to have at least three weeks less preparation than the four other finalists.
Sunbury coach Travis Hodgson said there was little his club could do in the situation.
"It's rough. But, there's no one to blame. It's just one of those things," he told The Courier.
"I'm sure Melton is in the same place as us where we've given our players a really good program to keep themselves in shape.
"But, there's no substitute for competitive work on the track. I assume a few Ballarat clubs would have some practice matches too. We certainly would if we were able to."
The state's latest lockdown was a double-edged sword for Sunbury - plunging the club into a sadly all-to-familiar sense of isolation, but also triggering the end of the home-and-away season, confirming the Lions' spot in finals.
"There's a sense of excitement. We'll go in giving ourselves a real chance because we're in good form. We've won four of our past five games," Hodgson said.
"In reality, win, lose or draw, for us, it's about the experience. I think that's where our group is at.
"A final is worth a lot of home-and-away games. Just for the boys to experience a finals game an that sort of pressure will assist us for our development in 2022 and onwards."
With outdoor excerise severly restricted, the Lions have resorted to an increasingly-common form of training.
Players have been working through strength and fitness programs at home, while staying in contact on social media.
Having already powered through two lockdowns this season, Hodgson was confident the third wouldn't be too big of a big setback.
"For me, confidence comes from the fact that the last times we've come out of lockdown we've been able to get back into things really quickly," he said.
"I think that's a credit from the work that's done. From a coaching point of view you just have to keep engaging the players.
"You can't go two-or-three weeks without communication. You have to keep the interest there, because there's nothing else to do.
"We don't know when we'll come out of lockdown do we, really. But we'll just do what we can do and when the opportunity comes, we'll throw everything at it. The experience will be gold."
If you are seeing this message you are a loyal digital subscriber to The Courier, as we made this story available only to subscribers. Thank you very much for your support and allowing us to continue telling Ballarat's story. We appreciate your support of journalism in our great city.