AFL Outer East: Coaches say small group guidelines are workable but a definite season date is needed
Several coaches in the AFL Outer East league say small group training guidelines released last week are workable, but players desperately need the ‘carrot’ of a definite season start date.
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On June 2, AFL Outer East will unveil an eagerly-awaited return to footy road map.
That night, clubs are likely to be allowed to hit the track and resume training.
But, should initial training be governed by the AFL Victoria return to training guidelines released last week, coaches will face some challenges.
The guidelines include: training groups of no more than 10 (two groups per oval); social distancing requirements of 1.5m and non-contact training only (no tackling, bumping and marking contests); footballs can be used, but only limited additional equipment is permitted like marker cones; clubrooms and changerooms can’t be used and there are strict hygiene protocols as per State Government advice.
Clubs must also nominate an official or officials to undertake the Australian Government online COVID-19 infection control training prior to recommencement of club activity.
This week, a number of AFL Outer East coaches said training under the small group guidelines would be challenging but workable in the initial stages but the most important thing for their players would be to have some certainty around a start date.
A definite date for Round 1 would be the vital carrot their players needed to remain motivated.
Rodney Benstead (Berwick Springs)
“You really want to be positive about this and give it a go. We’ve got some running programs in place. We could do a lot of work on basic skills, kicking drills, hitting targets. I sometimes think we don’t focus enough on the fundamentals. We’ve got plenty of coaches, we’ve got plenty of drills. It’s just about getting some clarity (about what is ahead).”
Clint Evans (Berwick)
“Initially it’s probably not going to be too much of a challenge. For the first three weeks it will be like a mini-pre-season where we’ll do a lot of work on fitness. After two or three weeks they might open things (restrictions) up a bit and we can increase from there. It will be a bit like going back to juniors with kick-to-kick. And we’ll be hitting up targets, that sort of thing. But our main emphasis will be on getting fit. The boys really want to get back into it, from those I’ve spoken to, but we’ll get a better idea when we survey the players next week.”
Nathan Johns (Belgrave)
“Just making sure everyone’s health and safety is under control first and foremost. I guess the challenge is, when you’ve got 51 on the list, what we’ll have to do is divide the list up into groups of 10 (then rotate training days and stagger training times). “I’ll be able to get back into ball work and pick up where we left off. The good thing is we’d already had three practise matches. We’ll get back and focus on skills and touch and get around each other and embrace each other for what they’ve been through. But I think we need to have a start date (for the season) before we start training.”
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Shane Dwyer (Narre Warren)
“To be honest I haven’t thought too much about it, I have a catch-up with some of my assistants tomorrow (Saturday) and we’ll work out what we’ll be doing. But we need the carrot of a start date. We put out a (fitness) program for them but that fades away (without motivation). We’ll throw in as much ball work as we can and get a bit of that match fitness back. We’ve just got to wait for the competition to say what they are doing. You need a target, it’s like doing a pre-season and then not playing.”
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