The Bendigo Pioneers have postponed their return to training because of the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Bendigo.
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The Pioneers under-18 boys were scheduled to return to training at Epsom-Huntly Recreation Reserve this Tuesday ahead of the start of the NAB League season on August 23.
Pioneers region talent manager said the club had pushed back the start of training to Tuesday, August 11.
"We're going to put training back a week and see what the situation is in a week's time,'' Sharp said.
"The plan is still to start the competition on August 23, but the best approach considering what's happened in our region this week is to put training back.
"It's a common sense approach. All things being well we'll return to training on August 11."
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The Pioneers are scheduled to host the Murray Bushrangers in round one of the NAB League at the QEO on August 23.
That means the players might only have two weeks to train as a group before the game.
Sharp said the club was not concerned by the quick turnaround because the players had been training with their local clubs.
Most of the Pioneers list played under-18 club football in the Bendigo and Goulburn Valley leagues last weekend.
This weekend's BFNL games were postponed because of COVID-19 concerns.
Sharp said he was impressed by what he saw from the Pioneers players in club football last week.
"It was great to see the boys out there playing again,'' he said.
"The Sandhurst and Strathfieldsaye game had 12 of our listed players playing, which was great.
"A couple of the boys really jumped up and played well.
"I watched Echuca play a couple of weeks ago and this weekend I'm watching Rochester play Mooroopna. Echuca plays Rochester next week as well.
"If everything goes to plan we start playing in three weeks, so these club games are really important for the players."
With no NAB League boys games played so far in 2020, AFL club recruiters took the opportunity to watch BFNL under-18 action at the QEO last weekend.
"There would have been a dozen AFL clubs represented at the QEO last weekend,'' Sharp said.
"I think one club had three recruiters at the game.
"It was a great chance for the kids to play on the QEO in front of AFL recruiters."
The Pioneers under-18 girls are expected to resume training one week after the boys program resumes.
The girls season is set to resume in September.
"The girls are likely to start training on August 17 or August 18 and they have a three-game season to squeeze in after they played three games earlier in the year before lockdown,'' Sharp said.
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