WARRNAMBOOL is keeping close tabs on the state of its temporary home as heavy downpours force the traditional powerhouse to look to other grounds.
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The Pond was deemed unplayable ahead of Warrnambool's clash with North Warrnambool Eagles on Saturday before the state was plunged its sixth COVID-19 lockdown.
The Blues secured a one-week deal to play at Allansford Recreation Reserve but didn't get the chance to feature at the Warrnambool and District league facility on the back of the community sport shutdown.
President Ken Radley said the club had worked to find alternate arrangements after more than 40 millimetres of rain had lashed the ground - which is known for a notoriously muddy surface in winter - in the first week of August. He said Allansford had been "very accommodating" and supportive in allowing Warrnambool to play at the venue before the lockdown was announced.
It's expected Warrnambool, one of the Hampden league's traditional powerhouses, will return to Reid Oval in 2022 once a multi-million dollar renovation project is complete.
Both Radley and coach Ben Parkinson told The Standard the players "hadn't complained at all" about the need to train and play at different grounds and praised their conduct over the course of the season.
Parkinson also hailed the club's admin staff for their work in finding suitable grounds to train and play on to allow The Pond a rest from foot traffic.
"It's just the nature of our season at the moment, we've just got to roll with the punches. It's really difficult but the players have been great at adapting what we have to go through," he said.
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"It's an almighty scramble for our admin staff like Ken and Wally Steere who do all our background work. They've got to work with the council to find a suitable district league ground which isn't getting used on a Wednesday.
"It just throws so much unknown and work into the mix of what our season is like and the players have just been great.
"They haven't whinged at all. They've been really good."
The Blues have played five times at The Pond, which is at Deakin University's Warrnambool campus, so far this season.
They have one more match scheduled for the ground, against Camperdown, if football returns next Saturday.
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