The Warrnambool footballer, who attends St Patrick's College in Ballarat, is relishing a return to the field.

He kept his skills sharp in the sporting hiatus. Rea trained with North Melbourne VFL mentor David Loader, who is currently stood down as a result of COVID-19.

"We had about 20 of us boys doing some sessions with (Loader)," Rea said.

"We mainly focused on running and non-contact, ball-movement stuff.

"It was really good to get back into that and I think it was good for our development, just getting that touch back.

"I learned a lot from him. It's just good to get a different perspective on things."

Rea, who is listed with Greater Western Victoria Rebels, is currently plying his trade for his home club in the Hampden league's under 18.5 division.

The 18-year-old will juggle Blues matches with training in Ballarat and will press for Rebels selection ahead of the NAB League's opening round on August 22.

"It's definitely good to have (NAB League) locked in now. For a long time it was so uncertain," he said.

"But it's also good to be back at Warrnambool too. There's a lot of good players playing in the under 18.5s which is bringing up the standard.

"The social aspect is another big part. With all this time off sport and school it's just awesome to get back to seeing your mates at the club."

Rea said he had "more gratitude" and appreciation for football following the COVID-19 hiatus.

"You miss seeing your mates and being involved at the club. You definitely have that bit more gratitude towards sport," he said.

"You're used to just rocking up to the club for training and to play but this year has been a bit different."

The year 12 student told The Standard he was working to strengthen his disposal and wanted to simply "play as many games as I can".

"I think my number one area for improvement is my field kicking," Rea said.

"That's definitely my main priority. I also want to work on my positioning so I'm getting into the right spots to be that link-up player.

"I want to be moving the ball forward. They're two areas I've been wanting to work on with the coaches."

Rea said he would avoid internal pressure and wanted to focus on enjoying football.

"I haven't set myself too much achievement-wise," he said.

"Playing a few games would be good but I think the most important thing is just to enjoy my footy.

"It's just good to be back training and playing."

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