It's a kick in the guts to the Canberra Cavalry's new owners with their first ABL season in charge cancelled before it even began.
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The ABL pulled the pin on the 2021/22 season on Wednesday after initially delaying the start of the competition until mid December.
But uncertainty around border closures - especially in WA, but also Queensland and SA as well - made it too hard to navigate the COVID-19 landscape.
The unlikelihood any imports would be able to play - except at great expense - was also a factor, given they might travel Down Under for only a handful of games.
Cavalry chief executive Illya Mastoris was hopeful they would be able to play some friendlies against ABL clubs at the Narrabundah Fort throughout the summer.
He notified their Australian-based players - as well as their potential imports - of the ABL's decision on Tuesday.
It's another setback for the Cavalry, who have had a few tough seasons - the bushfires and the toxic smoke of two years ago and then the controversy surrounding the previous owners last summer.
"When we took over the licence at the start of the year things were looking really positive that we'd turned the corner," Mastoris told The Canberra Times.
"But the uncertainty of the delta outbreak ... everything that was spoken about and everything we tried to achieve to make a workable schedule happen - there was just roadblock after roadblock unfortunately.
"The border restrictions were the hardest part for us to overcome.
"It's a speed bump. It's not a cliff, it's not terminal, it's just unfortunate."
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Mastoris said they would spend the extra year preparing to make sure the Cavalry remain a powerhouse of the ABL.
He said they'd already spoken to other clubs about the possibility of playing friendlies throughout the summer as travel restrictions continue to ease.
Travel to and from Sydney will be possible from November 1, while Melbourne's also likely to open up.
Brisbane and Adelaide could also be possibilities by the end of the year - depending on their slower vaccination rates.
"We've already started talking to a few teams around the league about the potential of hosting some exhibition games," Mastoris said.
"We want to try and have as much action down at The Fort as possible.
"Being exhibition games it affords us the flexibility to work around what COVID restrictions may look like in the New Year."