NUMBERS are good, training is back, now Bathurst Lady Bushrangers coach Brian Matheson is hoping for a confirmed start date for the 2020 AFL Central West season.
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Like most sporting competitions across the country, the AFL Central West season has been put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.
While those who play in the league's junior age groups from under 12s to under 17s and the Auskickers have been approval from the state government to contest a 2020 season, senior community sport is still awaiting a green light.
"Everyone is really keen to see the season going, we have no idea if that is going to happen, but we are hopeful," Matheson said.
"All we can do is start work on the training paddock, pick things up and be ready to go when the AFL makes a decision on when the comp is going to start."
Matheson has long been involved with the AFLCW competition, both as a player and a coach. He has had to adapt to difficult situations before, but nothing like he has experienced due to the virus this year.
"I'd probably put it up there with the issues we had a few years ago when the grounds were closed and we couldn't train for five or six weeks leading up to finals," he said.
"At least then we were able to get together and go to the gym or go to the pool together to keep our fitness up. With this, you really haven't been able to interact with anyone face-to-face, which made it harder."
However, social distancing measures are starting to ease and this week the Lady Bushrangers resumed training. It was limited to groups of 10 and there was no physical contact, but it was a step in the right direction.
It confirmed to Matheson, his assistant coach Tori Whitla and Lady Bushrangers captain Amelia Wright that should 2020 go ahead, they will have a handy squad to work with.
"Obviously it's a bit different with only 10 per group including coach, so we're holding two sessions a night, two nights a week," Matheson said.
"We'd picked up a few new girls, but we'd lost a lot from last year so I was a bit concerned with what our training would look like. Everyone was pretty keen and we had good numbers before COVID, but I was worried we might lose some of the newer ones.
"But everyone is really keen and training is booked out for the four sessions next week.
"Numbers is the main thing, as long as we can get numbers we can work on the skills throughout the year no matter if it is a short season."
There is also another positive that Matheson sees and that is the strength of the Jacinta Knight-coached youth girls outfit.
"Prior to when training stopped, the numbers looked really, really good. So we'd struggled with the youth girls the first two years, but they look good now," he said.
"There's some terrific young talent there and that's only going to help us in the future when they flow through to the ladies competition."
