Golden Square skipper Jack Geary knew the news was coming, but it didn't make it any easier to take.
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Geary and about 35 of his Bulldog team-mates went through a 60-minute skills session at Wade Street on Wednesday night.
At the conclusion of training the playing group was informed the 2020 BFNL season had officially been cancelled.
"We all knew it was going to come to a head, but it was pleasing for the club that we still had about 35 players on the track,'' Geary said.
"It was strange when we got told. I think most of us wanted a final decision to be made because it was starting to drag out, but when we were actually told that the season was done there was an empty feeling.
"It still took a little while to sink in."
In the past month the Bulldogs had trained and recruited strongly and appeared to be one of the teams to beat for the premiership had the season got underway.
Geary said deep down the players knew everything had to go right for the season to go ahead.
As each major league around the state pulled the pin on the 2020 season, Geary could see the end coming for the BFNL.
Read more: BFNL pulls the pin on 2020 season
"The fact we didn't have any certainty around what we were doing made it hard,'' Geary said.
"We were trying to prepare as if we were going to play, but there was that much outside noise coming in that deep down we knew that we were probably unlikely to play.
"The BFNL probably had no other choice in the end. Credit to the league for hanging on as long as it did and for not being dictated to by what other leagues were doing."
2020 would have been Geary's 12th full season of senior footy in the BFNL. He's also played multiple seasons in Darwin over summer.
Will the enforced lay-off help or hinder the 2018 Michelsen Medal winner as he gets to the back-end of his stellar career.
"I'm not feeling any better or worse at the moment,'' Geary said.
"When I broke my arm earlier this year I missed about eight weeks and got back for one training session before lockdown hit.
"After having that break with the injury I was really keen to get back into it, but then training was cancelled.
"I'm sure the year off will affect players in different ways. I'm nearly 30, so I'm at the older end of things, but I'd like to think I've got plenty of footy left in me yet."
Read more: Catch up on all the latest local footy news
Wednesday night's training session was the Bulldogs' last official session for this season.
If possible, Geary would like to keep the Bulldogs together in the second half of the year.
"We haven't spoken too much about training yet, but it is something I'd be interested in,'' Geary said.
"Training is a chance to hang around with your mates and escape from work and home life for an hour or so.
"I've really enjoyed training the past two months because it has been hour sessions, working on skills and not as much running.
"We were under the impression we weren't going to get any fitter in that time, so we were getting our skills right.
"We'd start at 6pm and be off the track by 7.10pm. It was more enjoyable than training from 6pm-7.30pm and then having a meeting about the game.
"I've missed the playing side of things, but I've enjoyed the training side of things when you don't have the game side of things to worry about.
"Training, or even just a catch-up, is something I'll certainly initiate going forward. Even if it's just once a week I'm sure it will be beneficial."
Geary loves sport and is as competitive as the next person, so would he consider pulling on the cricket whites over summer to satisfy his competitive urges?
"I don't have the patience to stand in the field for too long and I can't bat and I can't bowl, so I don't think cricket is the game for me,'' Geary said with a chuckle.
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