They've been kicking back in shorts and t-shirts, but the Queenslanders in the Canberra Raiders under-20s will be swapping them for thermals.
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Having returned home to the Sunshine State during the coronavirus shutdown, with the Jersey Flegg competition cancelled for 2020, it looked unlikely they'd get the chance to play this year.
But they'll combine with the SG Ball under-18s to form a side in a shortened Canberra Raiders Cup, which kicks off on July 25.
It means the likes of Adrian Trevilyan, Brad Schneider, Adam Cook and Jarrett Subloo will have a cold welcome when they return to the capital.
While under-18 players like Trey Mooney, JJ Clarkson, Caleb Esera and Clay Webb could also have a run.
The Raiders won't have their full under-20s squad to choose from though, with young prop Ata Mariota in the NRL bubble training with the senior squad and not allowed to play due to the Project Apollo protocols.
With the Raiders now able to have an extra four players in the bubble, a few more under-20s players could be brought in to train at Raiders HQ next week - rather than play in the Cup.
"We do have a few Queensland boys who are going to come back this weekend," Barnes said.
"They've enjoyed the time [away]. I spoke to them over the last couple of days.
"Some of them were in their shorts and shirts and I said they're going to have to change that pretty quickly.
"They haven't experienced a Canberra winter yet, especially the young ones.
"It's a pretty small squad and we won't have a lot of depth, but it's going to be a really good opportunity for us to get some individualised coaching in and position-specific coaching for the guys that are there."
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The COVID-19 lockdown meant Barnes had been purely focused on his other job as a schoolteacher, but he's set to lose his spare time with the 20s returning to the field.
This year they'll be up against reigning premiers Queanbeyan Blues, the Woden Valley Rams and the Gungahlin Bulls in a nine-round regular season - playing each team three times - with the top two going into the grand final on the last weekend in September.
Barnes led the Rams to the Canberra Raiders Cup premiership in 2018, ending a 22-year drought.
While he'd love to add another title this season - having also made the Jersey Flegg grand final last year - his main focus will be on developing the next batch of Raiders.
It was something that seemed unlikely just a month ago as the pandemic shutdown the world.
"We want to win everything that we go into, we're very competitive, but we're seeing it more as an opportunity to get our hands on these guys again that we didn't see possible even a month ago," Barnes said.
"And really working on them individually, as opposed to games every weekend ... that's the core of how we're approaching it."