Sport globally is on hiatus and our reporters Nick Ansell, Sean Hardeman and Brian Allen are eager to talk sport via The Commentary Box.

BRIAN: Fellas I want to revisit something we touched on at the start of The Commentary Box. With footy at least severely interrupted this season, are you keen to play cricket or another other summer sport when October rolls around? The topic came up when we chatted to the multi-talented Shannon Beks on The Main Break podcast this week. Beks, who plays for South Warrnambool in the Hampden league and Dennington in Warrnambool and District Cricket Association (WDCA), expects plenty of footballers will be keen to pull on the whites this summer. Can you see it happening and are there any footballers you'd love to see on the cricket pitch?

SEAN: I can see it happening as sport is a big part of this community and not being allowed to play it competitively for most of the year would light a fire under any footballer or even netballer to take up another sport. There are already plenty of talented footballers playing cricket and Steph Townsend is a talented netballer and cricketer for Nirranda and the Melbourne Cricket Club. So I feel this is the time to find out if there are any more talented dual sport players in the region. We may also see some develop into multi-talented athletes.

BRIAN: How exciting is that? It's a thrill to see athletes such as Steph perform well in different sports. As Shannon pointed out, a lot of footballers don't take up cricket because they want to have a break after a demanding footy season. So given they've had a big break, I'm excited to see if we have a booming summer of sport. Speaking to harness racing trainer Mattie Craven, he's excited about what the summer racing calendar is going to look like with many marquee races likely to be bunched up. The COVID break will perhaps also mean good things for other sports that operate while the sun is shining. Even now in the absence of footy and netball, the Warrnambool Athletics Club has seen its membership go up because it's hosting long-distance virtual running events through winter. But on the flip side, there is the fear that footy and netball clubs may lose their players because they find other interests or lose motivation. Do you guys feel that is a realistic fear to have?

NICK: I reckon cricket is going to absolutely boom if footy and netball can't get going. So many star cricketers who are multi-talented are lost to footy as it often demands such a crazy time commitment. I think the WDCA will be an obvious beneficiary but don't underestimate the impact it could have on leagues like the Grassmere Cricket Association and South West Cricket Association as well. There are lots of talented footballers in the GCA's catchment area and the association has done well to get a few of them back playing in recent seasons. For the most part, those who play footy and netball love the competitive outlet it provides and that will be one of the biggest reasons why competitive sport like cricket might thrive. Most people need time off to recover and reset the mind after a long and arduous footy and netball season and the absence of that might draw back some gun players.

BRIAN: And what do you think about footy and netball clubs potentially losing players?

NICK: I think motivation could be a factor. Gone are the days of people just playing footy in winter and cricket or tennis in the summer. Music festivals and jobs with weekend demands are more prolific now and time poor people are looking around for a rest mentally more than ever. I think mostly though, the worry would be keeping juniors motivated. Footy and netball aren't the only shows in town now and clubs will be keen to keep their kids running around and getting the most out of footy and netball socially, physically and from an enjoyment standpoint.

SEAN: You would hope loyalty would be a motivating factor for players to want to stay. If seasons don't go ahead in 2020 then the best thing they can do for their clubs is to return in 2021 and help it rise again. If all players across the leagues do it then it will go a long way to helping clubs return to some form of normality in the years to come. Now is the time to give back to our community and sporting clubs are very much a big part of that. We have already shown how we can, and still are, band together to help each other through the effects of coronavirus. This is just another level of it.

NICK: Agreed mate, particularly with regards to giving back. I don't think we'll see a huge drop off in numbers because people join and play with sporting clubs for so many reasons. They love the sport, they love the people and they are part of something bigger with a club.

BRIAN: South-west footy and netball might even get more numbers than usual next season if the coronavirus permits. Certainly the pandemic has made people think they can't take things for granted. Perhaps some new people will play footy or netball next season because they now know it's not just going to be there every year. It would be good to see more people jump on board, especially with some teams struggling for numbers last year.

SEAN: I feel the coronavirus has been a big wake up in many ways. Clubs will run better, they will be better at attracting and retaining athletes and will emerge stronger from the challenges they have faced in 2020. The passion of supporters, volunteers and players will only be heightened and we might see more people wanting to get involved on so many levels. I learnt early on in the pandemic how much sport plays a big part in our lives and not just by playing or being involved. It's a big part of all our lives in so many different ways. I can't wait until all sports are back to normal.