Michaela Meade
The South Morang Lions are sitting in a “strong position” in the Northern Football League, says coach Gary Hall.
The Lions are currently at the top of the NFL ladder, and have dominated the first seven weeks of the season, remaining undefeated, and currently have a percentage of 218.
Hall said he was grateful for the position the team have put themselves in.
“You can’t complain when you haven’t lost a game,” he said.
“The reserves haven’t lost either, so that’s fantastic.”
The team has not been able to keep up their winning streak for the past two rounds, as metro Melbourne was put into a lockdown to stop the spread of COVID-19.
All local sporting events were cancelled, pending eased restrictions.
Hall said the rest of the season was still “up in the air”, despite the lockdown coming to an end last week.
“It really depends what happens with the virus,” he said.
“The council have given us the go ahead from [Friday, June 11] to train.
“We’ll just keep training until we can continue the season.
“You’d expect they’d be able to finish the season.
“COVID’s a bit of worry, but you’ve got to remain positive.”
Before the lockdown, the Lions had scored over 820 points and only allowed 378, a far cry from Laurimar Power, who sit in second place on the ladder.
The Power have scored 707 points and allowed 415, sitting with a strong percentage of 170.
Hall said his team has a strong bond that allows them to dominate in the competition.
“They play for each other,” he said.
“The boys are good friends on field and off.
“Everyone’s happy at the club, and it’s a good place to be.”
Hall said the team would likely be in full strength of numbers when the season resumes.
“I’m not concerned [about injuries], but we’ve probably got a dozen blokes out injured,” Hall said.
“A lot of them played in the 2019 senior grand final, so they want to get there again.
“I’m expecting these weeks we’ve had off to have a good impact.
“It’s going to put a lot of pressure on spots, which is always good.
Hall said he hopes to see the Lions in the grand final later this year.
“I’ve been in this position before,” he said.
“Everything’s got to go to plan.
“So far so good, we just have to keep it up.”
NFL released a statement on Wednesday saying the intention is to resume senior games this weekend.
