NAB League set for August 22 start

And the NAB League girls season is set to restart on September 5, with teams to play three games each.

The Murray Bushrangers boys will meet the Bendigo Pioneers in Bendigo in round one with the rest of the fixture to be confirmed in the near future, with Gippsland, Geelong and Greater Western Victoria to also feature in the competition's country conference.

The entire competition had been scheduled to commence on August 22 before metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire were placed back in lockdown.

Bushies coach Mark Brown said the announcement was a boost to the entire club.

“From our end, we're just desperate to play some footy, as a lot of young people around the state are,” Brown said.

“If it actually happens it would be great, but we're not there yet with the landscape changing every day.”

Brown said he had been in contact with his players throughout the lengthy wait for football as various updates emerged regarding the NAB League season.

“We've had regular Zoom meetings and spoken to the players via text pretty regularly. It's been a balancing act, you don't want to just be talking for the sake of talking if we can't provide them any news,” he said.

Speaking particularly of the team's elite crew desperate to prove its AFL readiness, Brown said its task was to seize the opportunity that was about to be presented to it.

“The important message has been they won't just get lost to the system,” he said.

“The AFL has been fantastic in making sure they will get a chance, whether that's with a handful of games towards the back-end of the season or something next year.

“I applaud the AFL and NAB League officials for how hard they've chased an opportunity to play, and if it was not possible how to look forward to next year. Yesterday's announcement was a real positive, the boys are rapt and now it's just a case of fingers crossed.”

Any players currently at boarding school in Melbourne will not be able to return to play for country NAB League clubs.