GAMES at junior level would help players' health and well-being during the coronavirus pandemic, according to an online poll.
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More than 57 per cent of a The Standard poll supported having junior football and netball matches played in south-west Victoria in 2020.
Of the 204 reader votes collected by 3pm Thursday, 117 were in favour, 63 wanted to wait until next year and 24 would support playing this year if parents and siblings were permitted to watch if crowd restrictions were still in place.
It comes after club presidents - Wayne Promitz (Hawks), Simon Perry (Warrnambool), Steve Hoy (Koroit) and Jason Moloney (Old Collegians) - said it was important to push for junior matches, even if senior competitions are scrapped because of financial implications.
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Russells Creek mentor Thalia Robertson, who is in charge of the club's 15 and under side this season, said it "all depends on what health authorities have to say".
"Personally I don't think it's good speculating over something we don't have control over," she said.
"I love working with the kids and we are keen to get back and I know they are keen to get back as well but I don't think it's productive speculating things like this when we have absolutely no control over what the health authorities are going to say.
"It gets kids' hopes up."
Robertson, who works in health promotion, was focusing on coaching this year but she said many players were eager to train and play again.
"I don't have that itch to get out there but I can fully understand how other people are feeling," she said.
"For a lot of people it's the majority of their social interaction and physical activity for the week."
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