Round two contests will be staged across the region on Saturday, with plenty of enticing clashes out on the field.
But it will continue to be off the field where clubs place plenty of importance.
Rumbalara Football Netball Club general manager Bradley Boon captured the essence of what it means for the players, supporters and officials to be back together again ahead of the club's round one fixture.
“Rumba’s been buzzing since we started training again and it’s been great to see the smiles on players’ faces,” Boon said.
“We have had a huge increase in enrolment numbers across all grades for our football and netball teams, some of the biggest numbers in Rumba’s history. Over the last few weeks we’ve been proudly welcoming kids who have never been a part of our club into the Rumba family.
“Having football and netball back lifts the community spirits. Sport brings people together and it’s really the best form of reconciliation — bringing people together from different backgrounds and looking out for each other.”On the field, Rumba went down by a goal in round one against Numurkah, with Ryan Lovegrove-Hudson booting five majors.
Peter Hood and Steve Stallion impressed as well and the duo will be crucial in a clash against Deniliquin this weekend.
The Rams defeated Finley comfortably in round one proper following a win over Moama in a standalone season-opener — giving the squad a ripper start to the 2021 campaign.
Ricky Gittens (four goals) stood out, as did former junior Sam Lloyd in a one-off appearance.
“I’d be lying if I said our boys weren’t pretty happy after the game,” Deniliquin co-coach Sam Hall told the Pastoral Times.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had a win like that over Finley, so to be able to enjoy the last quarter with the game in control and to have Sam (Lloyd) back in a Rams jumper for the first time since the 2011 premiership, it was all pretty special.”
The Cats and Blues face-off against each other in round two — with Finley expecting plenty of reinforcements.
Paul Massingham, Lachie Hawkins, Levi Middleton and Kyle Russell could all suit-up after missing the loss to the Rams with varying injury complaints.
Rhys Cason, Jarrod Holmes and Nathan Hicks starred in Numurkah's win last round.
Tongala hosts Barooga after comfortably defeating Nathalia to open its account.
While the triumph would not have exorcised many of the grand final scars from 2019, it certainly did not hurt the group's morale and confidence.
The Hawks on the other hand went down to traditional rival Cobram convincingly and will be keen to bounce back quickly in an even competition.
The Tigers take on the Purples and will also be wary of a powerhouse on the counter, while Moama hosts Mulwala and Echuca United travels to Congupna in the other fixtures of the weekend.
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