Local footy clubs feeling the ongoing impact of COVID and new illnesses
If two years of COVID wasn’t bad enough, local footy clubs are now battling a debilitating flu strain and it will only get worse as winter hits.
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As if two years of COVID wasn’t bad enough for local footy, clubs are now dealing with a debilitating flu sweeping through Melbourne.
The pandemic has had a lasting impact on player numbers, volunteers, juniors and club and league finances.
With people forced apart in the last two years, this year’s flu season is expected to hit hard as people regain lost immunity.
The impact is already being felt, highlighted at the top level of the game by Western Bulldogs ruckman Tim English being hospitalised.
It’s a similar story at local level with hundreds of players, coaches and volunteers falling seriously ill across the metropolitan leagues.
And winter isn’t even here yet.
Northern Football League clubs Hurstbridge and Whittlesea were perhaps two of the hardest hit clubs.
The flu swept though both clubs after their Anzac Day clash in April.
The Bridges were forced to cancel training for a week and co-coach Jarrod Tilley didn’t see players until the Saturday as he and a host of people fell ill.
The NFL gave the club until the Saturday morning to confirm its senior team as many as 16 players were laid low.
The Eagles too lost a number of key players and suffered a 140-point loss the following week as a result.
Eastern league Premier Division leader Rowville boasts an unbeaten record from five starts but players have even had to train away from the main group at times.
Hawks coach Ben Wise said the challenges had been difficult on multiple fronts.
A recent experience left Wise bemoaning the point of match-committee, with the changes coming in thick and fast – owed largely to key players missing with the flu.
“I think the side changed about 30 times from Thursday night, we may as well not even had selection,” Wise said following a Round 4 match.
Rival coach Ryan James said Doncaster East hadn’t been spared the last-minute pinch.
“We had a couple of midfielders crook that didn’t train during the week, we didn’t know if they were going to get up until about 12 o’clock on Saturday,” he said following his side’s Round 5 clash with Noble Park.
South Belgrave coach Luke Galliott said it had swept through all grades at his EFL Division 2 club.
He said the virus had brought on an “unconventional” approach to coaching.
“Say we’ve got 70-odd guys through our 19s, reserves and seniors, I would say we’ve had at least 20 miss games in the last month across the three grades,” Galliott said.
“They’ve missed multiple training sessions as well and we’ve had guys that haven’t trained Tuesday and Thursday that have got better by Saturday and we’ve played them.
“It’s unconventional and we haven’t had to do that in the past.”
Meanwhile, the reserve grade match between Ballarat and Melton had to be called off last week due to lack of players.
COVID, at least reported cases, hasn’t had the same impact but was the cause of the Ballarat Football League’s decision to cancel the game.
Ballarat also had a number of senior players missing and were beaten by 95 point in what was meant to be a highly-anticipated clash between the competition’s top two sides.
Earlier this year, a Central Highlands league under-18s match was abandoned after a club saw nine players enter isolation, while Dunnstown had to forfeit an A-Grade match against Buninyong as only three of 10 players were available on the morning of the game.
It’s not just local league feeling the pain.
The VFL too has had it’s fair share of illness, made worse by travel to and from Sydney and Brisbane.
The Frankston Dolphins were severely impacted by the flu before their rousing win over Williamstown on Saturday night.
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Coach Danny Ryan missed the game, and watched a livestream of the game from home with a headset on and contact with his coaching staff in the box.
Dolphins star Kai Owens and several team officials also were struck down with the flu, while other players were too unwell to train during the week but still played.
“We’ve had a really bad week, that’s why it was a really admirable effort just to get the win,” Ryan said.
Clubs are being urged to prepare contingency plans and discuss strategies for mass player unavailability with leagues as winter approaches.
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