South Bendigo expects Golden Square to be firing on all cylinders when the teams meet for the first time in the 2021 Bendigo Football Netball League season this Saturday.
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Bloods head into the match with their eyes on the ball and are ready to hit the court after a few weeks without playing a competitive match.
FIXTURE EXPLAINER: BFNL forced into late fixture change for this weekend
"We're expecting a challenging game against Square as the BFNL is a very strong competition," Bloods coach Janelle Hobbs said.
"I'm not sure what Square has been up to during the lay-off but we've still been working very hard and the plan is to focus on what we need to do to secure the four points."
During the recent lockdown Hobbs and the squad remained in frequent communication online and when the green light came through to resume training they were straight back to work.
"After last year we knew what it's like to go without playing but this week we've had training sessions where we've focused on refining our court structure and strategies," Hobbs said.
"But nothing compares to gaining more match-play experience which we will get once we get back on the court this weekend.
"We were very excited once we received the nod confirming this weekend was going ahead."
BFNL round seven will be played without crowds due to current restrictions within regional Victoria which means the atmosphere around the courts will be quite different to a normal weekend.
"It's always nice to have a crowd, but it doesn't worry us as we know our roles and what needs to be done and hopefully from there the score will take care of itself," Hobbs said.
"It's hard for the people who want to watch and support their teams as it's normally their day out on a Saturday."
Other round seven matches include Kangaroo Flat making the trip across the goldfields to Maryborough.
Roos are prime flag contenders after an impressive start to the season and should have no issues securing a win over the Magpies.
"The lockdown was frustrating but we're eager to get back out on the court this weekend and continue where we left off three weeks ago," Roos coach Jayden Cowling said.
"We've been training as usual this week which will hopefully lead us into the weekend like we would any other round.
"Our focus will be just to get out on the court and enjoy ourselves."
In the other round seven matches Sandhurst will host Eaglehawk and Kyneton heads to Gisborne
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