Season build-up: Great Northern Football League clubs champing at the bit

Clubs will be working hard to put coronavirus measures in place and ramp up training before the start of the long-delayed football season in July. League presidents said their players were raring to go, and they expected to be ready in time for the opening bounce. Great Northern Football League president Colin Cox said the league competition would start on July 11. The season had been in doubt due to COVID-19, but eased restrictions mean clubs can open bars and canteens, entertain crowds, and use change rooms. Mullewa president Mick Wall, who will coach the team this season with Charlie Comeagain after Justin Crudeli left the club, said there was work to be done. “We’ve been going for a couple of weeks,” he said. “Now there’s an official date I think a few more blokes will kick in. They weren’t going to train if they didn’t have to.” He said the club didn’t operate a bar but used a bar near the ground. “We’ll definitely have a league and a colts,” he said “We’ve struggled for the last few years with the reserves — we just have to try and recruit a few more players for the ressies.” Rovers president Clive Edwards said the start time would not be an issue. “You’re generally running off about three or four weeks to get ready for the season anyway.” He said he was hoping expenses like affiliation fees would be applied pro rata. “The last week or two weeks we came out and said we’re having a season, numbers have picked up substantially at training because players can see they’ll get a game of football,” he said. “We’re not the AFL, it doesn’t take us three months.” He said a cancelled season would have put the sport behind, including the women’s game. League, reserves, colts and women’s competitions will run. Wall said the Mullewa ground had plenty of space for spectators to park cars if necessary. He said the club would have to mark in and out points for its canteen and space in the stand. “Once it’s all marked out and done you don’t have to do it again, the first bit will take a bit of work.” A third league president said his club had decided the season must be funded through membership fees and that he was concerned about the club’s elderly volunteers. Cox said clubs would need to work on their coronavirus plans and the league was drafting a formula for physical distancing that would be sent out to them. The season will be played over 10 rounds with grand finals to be played on October 4.