AT first, many people all over Australia - including the South Coast - thought this coronavirus epidemic might only impact us for a couple of weeks or one month - at the absolute most.
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But I think the recent announcement of both the NSW and Queensland Rugby League boards to cancel the 2020 season for most of their statewide competitions, came as an eye-opener for many - especially those in the sports scene.
This decision will have plenty of flow-on effects.
For one, where are all those players committed to playing in the NSW Canterbury Cup or Jersey Flegg going to play in 2020?
The most likely solution is they'll go back to their junior club or a feeder club in their respective areas.
But all of those sides have just completed gruelling pre-seasons, without these stars.
Sure, most teams and competition's like Group Seven, would welcome any of these players back with open arms, but will they disrupt the balance of power at certain clubs?
With the win at all costs mentality of a lot of clubs, it'll leave guys who had been training all pre-season in first grade without a spot in the top side.
Then in turn, those displaced players will likely be called on by the club in future seasons, once those top players return to their higher level competitions - which is sure to create some disharmony.
Another impact this decision will be if other competitions follow suit.
At this stage, competitions such as Group Seven, AFL South Coast, Illawarra Rugby, Shoalhaven District Football Association, Shoalhaven Netball Association, Illawarra Baseball League and Illawarra/South Coast Hockey, won't start until at least May - most likely June.
But that's at the absolute earliest.
Competitions such as the Basketball NSW Waratah League don't even have a potential return date.
It's these little nuances which have many people saying we won't see any action in 2020 and the siren will sound on competitions even before the first whistle is blown.
Not me, however.
As the calendar has just ticked over to April, I'm still optimistic we will see action in all the aforementioned competitions.
Being realistic, let's say we don't see any play from April to June.
Is a competition that starts around July 1 still worth running?
Absolutely.
Every single player that's ripped in the past few months during pre-season deserves to take the field and showcase their talent.
As Nowra-Bomaderry Jets captain/coach Dylan Farrell said to me earlier in the week, rugby league (or any sport for that matter) is so important to the small South Coast communities - it gives it an identity and a lot of them lose their way without sport.
Arguments against starting this late will no doubt include "we've got to be done by September for finals" or "cricket starts in October".
Both fall under the old "this is the way we've always done it" approach.
To me, that's the most outdated and uneducated argument one can make - especially in these times of uncertainty.
My thought is, just for this season, let's run competitions into late October and November if we have to - allowing games to be played at night with daylight saving.
That way all major competitions can have a three to four month regular season - which could even include double-headers to fit all the games in, before a final series - which is, in my opinion, a substantial enough length of time to warrant a season.
Sure there will be a number of logistical issues, such as the availability of players, staff and facilities, as well as the weather - but they are surely all manageable if people want to take the field in 2020.
Then I can hear the faint voice of the small contingent of local cricketers, saying "what about our season?"
I can only speak from the Shoalhaven District Cricket Association perspective, which I've been covering for five years but do we really need to play cricket for six months?
In first grade, there were only five teams this year - the lowest it's been in my time at the South Coast Register, highlighting that Australia's summer sport might just not be as popular as it once was.
I'm not saying get rid of it completely but just shorten the season - which would be music to the ears of many of the players with whom I've spoken.
With two-day, one-day and Twenty20 competitions all running, there is simply too much cricket on the calendar.
My solution is to start the one-day season in mid-November and run it through to Christmas, with the final taking place just before it.
Then after Australia Day, start the two-day competition, because let's be honest, who wants to play cricket in the middle of January - when they could be spending time with their kids and families, at the countless beautiful beaches on the South Coast.
Run this competition through to the end of March, if need be, and then the winter sports can restart - which involve much more athletes and supporters.
Despite me going off on a cricket tangent, the blueprint is there for winter sports to still happen this season.
But this can only happen once the country gets on top of the COVID-19 crisis and the health of all Australians is safe.
So everyone, let's all do out bit, stay home and get through this together.