SOME of them were so committed to restarting the season they either hired an exercise bike and set it up in the lounge room or took to the stairs at Harry's Lookout.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Most of Port Macquarie's All Abilities futsal team have been trying their best to keep fit since they were forced to stop their campaign back in March.
But now they have their eyes firmly locked on a late July restart date and then a potential State of Origin contest at the end of the year.
Coordinator Chris Whitfield said it had been a difficult four months for most of the people involved in the program as not only did sport stop, but so too did their work.
"A lot of these programs are so tightly regulated so when all this hit, guys lost all their outlets like a lot of people did," he said.
"All their work dried up along with their day programs, so a lot of guys were sitting at home all day every day.
"Now we're almost back, it gives these guys a sense of belonging and purpose now."
Whitfield, however, said a couple of players had gone above and beyond in keeping motivated and in shape during the lockdown period.
"One of them went down to Kmart, got an exercise bike and set it up in his lounge room and watched tv while he was on it every day," he said.
"Another guy was running up and down the stairs with kettlebells at Harry's Lookout."
Concerns about people's mental health were raised during the shutdown and Whitfield said they attempted to keep in touch as often as they could during isolation.
"When you stop work, sport and all these activities, you miss out on that connection with people first and foremost and that's one of the most debilitating things out there," he said.
"These guys are no different when you're left to your own thoughts you can feel a bit lost sometimes."
Talks have started to feature a potential State of Origin contest in Port Macquarie later this year with the return leg to take place in Queensland next year.
"We want to do that before the end of the year so we're in talks at the moment to get that off the ground," Whitfield said.
What else is happening in sport?
While you're with us, you can also receive updates straight to your inbox from the Port Macquarie News. To make sure you're up to date with all the news, sign up here. If you would like to support our journalists you can subscribe here.