Southport Sharks unsure what the future holds and what their NEAFL list will look like after COVID-19

Southport’s football department has been stood down and they are unsure if players will return from interstate should the 2020 NEAFL season begin in the coming months.

SOUTHPORT’S football department has been stood down and they are unsure if players will return from interstate should the 2020 NEAFL season begin in the coming months.

Many of the players on the Sharks 40-man list returned to their home states once the season was suspended and football staff, including senior coach Stephen Daniel and football manager Jarrod Field, were stood down.

Mystery still remains on when the season will begin as Australia battles to get on top of the COVID-19 crisis and how many games could potentially be played.

Daniel said he was in the dark on who would be available on the list to choose from when footy resumes.

NEAFL practice game between Southport Sharks and Redland at Fankhauser Reserve..(Photo Steve Holland)

“A lot of our players have gone home interstate so whether or not they come back, who knows,” Daniel said.

“We could have lost players, we just don’t know what the ramifiitaions will be.”

Southport were due to open their 2020 NEAFL campaign with a Round 1 game against Redland away from home this Saturday while the Gold Coast Suns NEAFL side were scheduled to play Sydney at Metricon Stadium on Sunday.

SHARKS COMPLETE NEAFL LIST

Among Southport’s recruits for the 2020 season were South Australian Jonathan Beech, Victorians Leigh Osborne and Jayden Brown, Tasmanian Blair Rubock and more.

Those that remain on the Gold Coast have sourced gym equipment from the club and have written programs to follow in order to maintain fitness.

“We let them take what they felt they needed to keep themselves in good condition,” Daniel said.

“They started off training in groups of 10 and all the coaches have got kits with footballs, bibs and cones but that got knocked on the head too.”

“We can’t train in big groups so that came to a halt and a lot of the boys now train in groups of two.”