But while there's still plenty of work to be done, the NSW government's decision to allow for all community sport to resume next month gives everyone much-welcome cause for optimism.

What perplexes me though is why it took so long for adult sport to be given the green light after it was announced kids sport could proceed eight days ago.

Very little, if anything has changed in that period in regards to our coronavirus pandemic fight.

All it's done is deny clubs and players eight crucial days to prepare for a season, when they need all the time they can get to ensure they can get fit enough for contact sport.

However, the positive is players and clubs who were unsure about whether or not to forge ahead this year may feel more compelled to do so now there's clarity a season will be allowed.

Those who may have baulked at showing up to training as there was no guarantee a season could be played may have more motivation to brave these cold winter nights.

Of course for local leagues to be viable, crowds are required.

With capped crowds allowed in NRL games from next week and some AFL teams doing likewise, surely it means there's no reason community sport can't follow suit.

New South Wales Rugby League boss David Trodden told me last week he feels regional areas should be given more leniency with decisions on crowds compared to their city counterparts.

"I do, for two reasons," he said.

"One is is the community benefit aspects but the other is the reason you prohibit associations is their risk profile, and the risk profile in regional areas seems to be significantly less than in Sydney.

It seems community sport has played the 'poor cousin' to the likes of the NRL and AFL throughout this entire ordeal.

It's just as important, if not more so. The government needs to do what it can to ensure clubs survive and continue, because without healthy community sport the big leagues will inevitably suffer.

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