CSU Bushpigs confident in playing future despite the coronavirus a shutdown

After the coronavirus shutdown brought a halt to on-campus classes, and with many students resigned to learning online for the rest of the year, the Bushpigs might have been harder hit than others.

Bushpigs president Cam Humphries concedes their depth might be tested but believes the excitement of being able to play again would be a big carrot.

"It's all up in the air. We're very dependent on the university and what they do. Even if university comes back full-time I dare say we might lose some players. But I think we'll be pretty right, we'll get most of our players back. Most boys want to come back and play footy," Humphries said.

"But whether we have the raw numbers and depth, if injuries happen... it all depends on how AFL go about running their season. If they decide to do a short six-week season, we may be right.

"If there's a footy season to come back to, I'd say there'll be a fair few that will come back - whether they're doing uni (on campus) or not. For the social side... they'll be wanting to get out and about and catch up with mates rather than sit at home and wait it out."

The uncertainty for CSU is two-fold, with university decisions that affect students, as well as AFL direction on community football.

Humphries said the club is confident in its financial security, with the help of having had catering at the AFL pre-season game back in March.

"A few of us have sat down and re-done our budget but even with that it's a stab in the dark... we need a budget for no season, a budget for half a season, or a budget for a few games in a season. It's a hard one," he said.

"But we're working through it. We'll definitely get through the year. Financially we'll be fine."

The main concern for Humphries is player welfare, noting the lack of football and social interaction "takes a pretty big toll on them".

Coach Pat Noonan agrees and said they're doing their best to stick tight.

"I think everyone's in that situation. This is my first year of not having something like football and it's a really strange time," Noonan said.

"You sort of feel a bit isolated in a sense, socially and sporting-wise. Those young guys thrive on the community sense we have at CSU so it's definitely doing a number on some of them.

"But I think they'll be definitely keen to get back into it as soon as we get the green light."

Noonan said players who have gone home, to regional Victoria and western NSW, are as active as any in their online get togethers and communication.

"So a lot of them sound like they're still very keen to have a 2020 season, that's for sure," he says.

"And a lot of them are still here, staying around Wagga, because they've got rentals and stuff. Some went home for a few weeks and said they were going stir crazy with their parents and so they had to come back, which was pretty funny."

Noonan said they'll be happy to play an eight-game season, or even just a few games if it came down to it.

"I hope there's a chance we can play half a season, or whatever it is. Blokes would just be happy to come back and play three games. Just to play something and have that sense that we got to play," he said.

But until there's some formal direction, it's about remaining positive, amid the endless pondering of what might yet come.

"Hopefully someone makes a decision next month and we've got a bit of clarity of what's going on and we can go forward from there."

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