See those Kangas jump!

Deloraine Kangaroos are flying high this season with a decisive win over the Meander Valley Suns.

Photo supplied

By David Claridge

WHAT WAS meant to be a promising year for Deloraine Football Club turned into a waiting game. Waiting for answers. How bad was COVID-19 going to get? Would there be any matches played in 2020? T

he club’s fighting spirit endured as players found ways to maintain fitness in restricted circumstances, keeping playing hopes alive.

Lochie Dornauf, the Senior’s Coach, explained how players set their own training programs and followed COVID-19 rules. ‘Forty-five turned up at our first official training. With no commitment to play, no games set, it was extremely encouraging.’

‘We built up from groups of ten to groups of twenty and later unrestricted. The players completed fitness work in the form of pushups and running, as a way of raising awareness and supporting families who have given so much to the club. Together they raised $2320.’

The chosen charities were for Motor Neurone Disease and Lyme Disease, the latter for Georgia Eastley, daughter of former U19 coach and senior assistant coach David Eastley.

All of the hard work paid off as the NTFA deliberated on matches to be played but not for premiership points. The season officially kicked off with a series of games on July 18.

Deloraine’s U21s defeated Bracknell 86-53 while the seniors also beat Bracknell 82-46. Deloraine then went on the following week to face the Meander Valley Suns. A match up of two different divisions, their first match against the former Westbury FC since 1983 saw the Kangaroos bounce home 151-1.