Taking it week by week or a game at a time, has become much more than a convenient cliche for coaches in 2020. It's now a sanity-saving mantra.
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If the previous concerns of fluctuating form, injuries and wet-weather cancellations weren't enough to contend with, throw in Covid-19 game postponements and delays in rescheduling as a logjam of catch-up games starts to form.
"Week by week is the only way to view things at the moment in everything," Maitland Magpies coach Mick Bolch said ahead of Sunday's home game against third-placed Lambton Jaffas.
The game sees the return of Matt Thompson to Maitland in Jaffas' colours and Maitland's star recruit Braedyn Crowley facing his old side for the first time.
Jaffas lost 3-2 to Broadmeadow Magic on Sunday after leading 2-1 and sit one-point ahead of the Magpies on the table with seven points from two wins and a draw.
Bolch's Magpies had an enforced break on Saturday when Covid-19 contact concerns at two Newcastle schools forced their game against Newcastle Olympic to be cancelled.
The club had still not heard by Wednesday's major training session when the game would be rescheduled but hope they will not have a horror three games in seven days next week with matches against Jaffas, Olympic and second-placed Broadmeadow.
"While it was disappointing to not play last weekend, it gave us a chance to re-group and let a few players get over some niggles," Bolch said.
"Games are meant to be replayed within 10 days but we haven't heard when the game will be played. It makes it difficult to plan.
"It's going to be a logjam if we get any more wet weather and any more spikes in Covid cases.
"You just have to concentrate on what's in front of you and prepare for that game."
The Magpies go into Sunday's game after a 1-0 loss to Weston Bears on August 5 and without Jimmy Thompson who was red-carded and subsequently received a two-week ban for comments to the referee during the game.
"I can't fault the effort of the guys, 60-odd minutes with 10 men and we still created a couple of chances and conceded in the last 20 minutes," Bolch said.
"It makes the next two games massive. Two wins and two losses is not where we wanted to be.
"We've got Jaffas on the weekend who on paper have the best roster in the comp so we really need to turn up and do our job this weekend."