The Bloods have locked in senior football coach Nathan Horbury for a further season, while A-grade netball coach and director of coaching Jannelle Hobbs has put pen to paper for a further two years at Harry Trott Oval.

Dual re-signings provides the Bloods with plenty of stability as they look to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Horbury, who will lead the Bloods for a third season (counting the cancelled 2020 season), said the playing group had been quick to move on from a season without football, with the bulk of players already committing to next season.

With plenty still to play out in terms of the COVID-19 crisis, Horbury envisaged a return to the training in late October, under a 'best-case' scenario.

"Not really to jump into running and things like that, but just to get a touch of the footy and get back to being around each other and enjoying each other's company," he said

"We'll go through some match simulation and then build late November into actual pre-season."

Following a bullish pre-season, the Bloods were quietly confident of making significant inroads into their push for a return to the finals.

Despite all that has transpired this year, Horbury sees no reason why the momentum gained during the early months of 2020 could not carry into next season.

"If we can retain everyone, I think we have a really good bunch of young kids," he said.

"Going forward we do know we need to recruit a little bit, but we are pretty excited with what we do have.

"As a club I think we are really strong at the minute. Obviously last year (2019) it didn't really show on the field, but our netball with Jannelle, they have been really strong, which is an exciting thing for us.

"It's a full club thing and with the new building (at Harry Trott) getting done, things are really looking positive for the club."

The same can be said for the netballers, under Hobbs, who will enter her fourth season with the club following her move from Kangaroo Flat, where she won a pair of premierships in 2014 and '16 and led the club into three grand finals.

South's A-grade side broke an 18-year finals drought in 2019, and with a quartet of recruits onboard, hopes were high of a top-three finish this year.

Like the footballers, the netballers have been quick to put the cancelled season behind them, with Hobbs confirming most A-grade and all A-reserve players had recommitted for the season.

She welcomed the show off faith in both her and Horbury as coaches and the stability and security it provided to their players.

"It's great to get consistency, and Nathan is fantastic to work with," she said.

"The footy and netball try to work in together on training sessions and stuff, and I think it's important for players to get that security.

"For myself, this was my third year, though we didn't really get to do anything, so (2021) will really be my third year.

"In two years we have really set up everything with the strategies I wanted to bring into place, next year will be the year we really need to perform and put everything into practice.

"The same with Nathan, he's only really had the (one) year, so it's great we've both committed.

"We've got a strong off-field base with Gill Davey, our netball ops (operations) manager, and Alan Ellis or president, so it's really looking strong at South."

Reappointed South Bendigo coach Nathan Horbury hopes absence truly does make the heart grow fonder and a year without football will leave his charges only hungrier for success.

Entering his second season at the helm in 2020, expectations were high at Harry Trott Oval following an unprecedented pre-season, highlighted by a rigid fitness program and the arrival of a handy batch of recruits.

Sadly for the Bloods the season never got off the ground, with training halted during March due to the coronavirus pandemic, before a resumption in June only weeks before the season was cancelled.

"This year we were really excited for what was going to happen, we had a really good pre-season, (and) the boys were really fit," Horbury said.

"We worked with Fit Republic and had a really good hit out at it, so we were excited.

"It was disappointing to not have (the season) up and going, but next year I'm sure we'll get everybody back on-board and really have another tilt at it."

Rather than dwell on the disappointment of a season lost, Horbury was confident the separation from team-mates would ultimately have a galvanising effect on the playing group and, at the very least, offered players plenty of perspective.

"It's a big change, but we've just got to rally around each other - there are a lot worse things going on in the world than not playing a game of football," he said.

"When you think about it like that, you've got to be happy with where we are at.

"It has been tough (on the playing group), we're trying to stick together, but it is hard.

"But it's great news with Jannelle (Hobbs) signing in again with netball, it's a real positive push for the club."

Horbury welcomed some clarity around the salary cap for next season, with AFL Central Victoria proposing a figure of $125,000 for next season, representing a cut of $25,000 (16.6 per cent) from what would have been this year's figure of $150,000.

With the bulk of players already recommitting, the focus for the Bloods have well and truly turned to recruiting.

"Obviously we do want to back the boys we already do have in because we do think we have a pretty good bunch of young kids," Horbury said.

"I guess it's made it hard not knowing what the salary cap is and what we can go out and go for.

"Now that's coming out we can focus on what we need.

"We do need another key forward to help Kaiden (Antonowicz) down forward, but we think we got some pretty good recruits last year with the boys from down in Melbourne.

"We are pretty confident with the list we've got, we maybe need a couple here or there."

AFTER a 2019 season filled with promise, South Bendigo A-grade netball coach Jannelle Hobbs was hoping this might be the weekend her strengthened side would be lining up for its first final.

A year of tremendous gains on and off the court resulted in the Bloods playing in their first top-level finals series in 18 years last season.

Indications and certainly hopes were high they would be back there again in 2020, with Hobbs further indicating the Bloods has set themselves the challenge of a top-three finish

"We did get in one practice match against a VNL club, which we beat them, and we played very well," she said.

"I think that was one of the reasons we were so disappointed, everyone had a really strong connection and we were up and about early and super-fit.

"We were hoping we would finish with the double chance this year and have a better chance in finals. I think you need that double chance ... anywhere in that top three; there's obviously some very strong teams in there.

"But obviously we have to produce that sort of form on a consistent basis, which is something we haven't done in the past.

"We don't want to just finish in fifth spot, we want to be able to match it with Sandhurst and Kangaroo Flat and those stronger squads, which I definitely think we are on the way to doing."

While there would be a tendency by many to dwell on the disappointment of a season lost, armed with a new two-year contract as the Bloods' director of coaching and A-grade coach, Hobbs has her sights set in only one direction - forward.

"It's a shame we couldn't get 2020 off the ground, but that's really given us a lot more fire in the belly for next season .... I can't wait to get started," she said.

"The girls are all keen to get back, even just to have a social dinner, or something social.

"I have touched base with everyone on our list and the majority of them are coming back, so we are really excited to get started again.

"Once the season was called off we thought the girls needed a break; it was very mentally draining on them just not knowing what was going to happen."

Hobbs is in no doubt her A-squad list is strong, but does not disguise the fact she would again be active on the recruiting front in the months ahead.

"There are a couple of recruits that I am specifically after, that I can't say much about at the moment," she said.

"I'm really happy with the list that I've got. There may be a couple who aren't coming back for family reasons, but it's that depth that we have to strengthen.

"I think our entire A-reserve squad will be back, so with the A-grade, there's been a couple of players I have been in talks with .... over the phone of course .... and I hope to be able to meet with them when this lockdown finishes."

A dual premiership coach at Kangaroo Flat before her arrival at South Bendigo, Hobbs has been the Bloods' A-grade coach and director of coaching since 2018.

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