Coleambally co-coaches Luke Hillier and Curtis Steele have rolled their coaching partnership over to 2021, as the Blues begin preparations for next year.
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The pair have re-signed at the Farrer League club along with key recruits Guy Orton, Theo and Tom Valeri and Jordan Crowe.
Hillier was to be in his second season as coach, after sharing the job with Mitch Carroll last year.
"When you prep yourself for this season and it doesn't go ahead, you're just keen to look forward to next year and continue what you've prepared for this season," Hillier said.
"We might start pre-season a little earlier than normal. We've talked to most of the boys and everyone's keen to go again and stay next year. I think everyone will be ready to rip in and have a go after having a year off."
It's not quite a year off for the Ganmain-based Steele, who is back at Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong playing in the AFL Riverina Championship on a COVID-19 permit.
"I'm in town here and I want to keep the body going and get a bit of fitness, I don't want to let it seize up," Steele said, adding that he felt it after round one, when he put in a full game in the midfield in the Lions' reserve grade win against Turvey Park last weekend.
"It was a good blow-out."
But Steele said he can't wait to get back to Coleambally once this season is done, and re-start his senior coaching career.
"Absolutely. We recruited pretty well last year and we've pretty much signed up everyone again next year so it's looking pretty promising," he said.
"We'll probably keep our eyes and ears open for a few more just to see how we go - you never know we could lose some before the season and it's better to have a bit of depth."
The club was pleased to have the Valeri brothers, Crowe and Orton re-commit a long way out after this year's aborted season.
They also expect to retain former South Barwon footballer Campbell Buchanan who has previously played in the midfield in the Geelong League reserves.
Orton, a two-time Riverina League best-and-fairest, and former Swans and league representative coach, said he is enjoying sitting this year out after the chaos wrought by the coronavirus.
But he said he's felt very welcome at the Blues and is adamant the fire in the belly will be back in 2021 when he dons the guernsey.
Hillier conceded the disruption of an on-again, off-again year amid the pandemic hasn't been easy. The Blues wavered from uncertain to excited and then to the exits, becoming one of the first Farrer League clubs to withdraw support for a season.
"It's been super hard - we stopped training, then we had that big break and then started again and then it obviously didn't go ahead," Hillier said.
"It was hard in that sense, the stopping and starting all the time, but I think in the end the club made the right decision."
Hillier and Carroll led the club back to finals last year.
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