Taylors Lake was on a high heading into the new season until COVID-19 decided to rear its head.
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2019 saw the Lakers end a 720-day drought with a 49-point win against Pimpino. Later that month, Taylors Lake's senior football and A Grade netball sides pulled off massive upsets against Rupanyup.
It was the football team's first win against a team other than Pimpinio in three years, and the club's first A Grade victory since 2012. Now, they need to start again.
"It was tough during January and February, but now the draw has been released and the (return to play) protocols people can smell football in the air and are ready to get back in to it," senior football co-coach Brandon Weatherson said.
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"Pre-season hasn't been too bad. It's been hard to get any sort of continuity into it really. I've seen a lot of faces, which has been good. Numbers are pretty good unlike a couple of clubs around. So we're pretty lucky in that regard."
A majority of Taylors Lake's recruits for the 2020 season have committed to going round again, including former Edenhope-Apsley livewire Billy Finnigan and new co-coach Lee Marshall, who joined from Beaufort.
Like all clubs, the Lakers are having to deal with the uncertainty born from the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I thought it would affect the older blokes which it probably hasn't for us. I thought we were going to be in a pretty good spot because we were young but it probably went the other way," Weatherson said.
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"A lot of the older blokes their bodies are feeling really good and they're ready to go again. Whereas the young ones I think have worked out they can do other things.
"We're lucky. Most of the group is back so we're not complaining."
Weatherson expected football to look drastically different in the early stages of the season.
"I think with not playing the game for 18 months a lot of teams are starting from further back," he said.
"People's bodies are just not used to (football).
"I've noticed the negative impact (of no season). It's not as easy to get people on the track and to commit. So, the year off has probably done that to a few people."
Taylors Lake's senior netballers will be missing from the top grade this year as the club deals with the fallout of COVID-19 and changing player circumstances.
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The Lakers will field a B Grade side with Michelle Wilde at the helm, who found it a little "disappointing" to not have an A Grade side.
"I think people found things to do other than to play football and netball on weekends with COVID-19 last year," Wilde said "We've also got some players that are pregnant, we've got some that have moved interstate and we've got some that have gone to uni, so its left us a little bit short."
The side will benefit from the clubs strong junior talent pool which has experienced significant success in their underage competitions.
"For several years they (some of the juniors) have played A grade as well as under 17s and they've been successful in under 17s," Wilde said. "Some of these kids have won I think three grand finals playing together. There's four under-17s in the side and there's definitely more of the juniors that I'd love in B Grade."
While the long-term goal is to field an A Grade team again, Wilde said she was focused on leading her side in at the new level.
"The goal is to be competitive and get some wins," she said.
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