Sandhurst coach Ashley Connick is keen to lead the Dragons again next year and he expects his close-knit playing group to stay in place for 2021.
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With the BFNL cancelling the 2020 season last Wednesday night because of COVID-19 restrictions, the Dragons are already looking ahead to next year.
This year would have been Connick's second season in charge of the Dragons and he'd love the opportunity to continue the role next year.
"I'll have a discussion with the club over the next couple of weeks,'' Connick said.
"If the intention is that both parties want it to continue then we're likely to.
"I've started some new employment, so I have to see how that pans out, but it is more likely than not."
Connick expects the playing list to remain intact for 2021, including veteran midfielder Blair Holmes.
"Blair has 11 games to go to get to 200 and I think he's had a long-term goal to be a 200-game player for the club.
"Blair was looking really good. He'd had no calf issues, no soft tissues issues and he'd barely missed a session.
"I see no reason why he wouldn't go on next year and I'm sure the club would dearly love to see him get to 200.
"This (season cancellation) gives Adam Parry a chance to really get his thumb right and Lee Coghlan could play tomorrow. He's right with that knee injury.
"I don't think anyone will retire or give it away. If anything, this has made everyone realise how much they love playing footy."
Connick said the Dragons had trained strongly and were primed for a big 2020 season.
However, the second wave of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne last month took the wind out of their sails.
"We expected it (the cancellation) after that weekend where the cases broke in Melbourne,'' Connick said.
"After that we thought it was likely to be called off and we had a week or so to prepare for it.
"The Bendigo league did a really good job. They took their time and waited as long as they could to make a decision and they made the right decision, no doubt."
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For now, the Dragons will put their feet up, but Connick said he was keen to keep the senior group together for the benefit of their physical and mental health.
"As a coaching group we've had a chat and we thought we'd let the dust settle before we come up with a way to go forward for the rest of the year,'' he said.
"It will be a balance between keeping the guys in reasonable condition and connected to each other without overdoing it.
"If you kept training with no end in sight until round one next year then that would be tiring and flattening.
"We've talked briefly about doing something different like having an internal basketball competition mixed with a footy training session every couple of weeks. whatever we do we'll keep it low-key and keep the group together."
"We'll get behind the under-18s and the juniors and we're looking at having senior players mentor the junior players.
"Our senior coaching group has offered to help the under-18s in any way we can."
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