FOOTBALL South Australia is wasting no time getting things back underway after its season was put on hold in the middle of its finals series, with the Gawler Eagles scheduled to play its semi-final against Eastern United on Friday night.
With news coming out early this week about community sport being permitted to return as of December 1, Football SA scheduled its finals games for National Premier League, State League One and State League Two for tonight, Thursday night and Friday night.
Gawler Eagles secretary Peter Broelman said it would have been nice to keep carrying the momentum from the Eagles’ two elimination finals wins, but acknowledged the situation is par for the course in 2020.
“I think with this season so far and with all the COVID interruptions, we’re kind of used to it by now,” he said.
“The boys have been itching to get back out there after their two big elimination final wins against higher-placed teams, and they’re so hungry that I don’t think a couple weeks off was necessarily a bad thing.
“We had a couple of niggly injuries that have been able to heal a bit over the break, and although we couldn’t train, pretty much all of the boys are doing their own fitness work.
“Of course there’s a concern about being a bit underdone going into an elimination final, but Eastern United is in the same boat, and we have training Tuesday and Thursday this week to sharpen up.”
The Eagles have played the Eastern United Saints twice so far this season, losing both meetings 0-2 and 0-3.