As the depths of winter dig in and we bunker down for plenty of time in front of the fire, we need to acknowledge the deeds of an often maligned cohort in our society.
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It's easy to deride and dismiss our younger generation, but when it comes to following their sporting passion, these folks need a pat on the back.
Last Saturday was one of those Warrnambool winter days from hell.
The wind was blowing hard and sideways and the rain was cold, heavy and constant.
But the brave footballers and netballers of the south-west never flinched, turning up for duty in the face of the carnage.
Let's start with the netballers.
Sure they didn't have to hit the mud, but these girls had plenty of obstacles to jump over.
When the wind hits as hard as it did on Saturday, the netball basically turns into a balloon.
Passes over a metre long are taken hold of and hurled off course by the wind.
Shooting goals even on the most sheltered courts becomes a nightmare.
The throw at the ring starts off well but ends up going like a golf ball when it is whacked by a left-hander with an uncontrollable slice.
And what about wet asphalt?
If you are picking a surface to play sport on this is surely right down the bottom of your list.
At the best of times asphalt is unforgiving, let only when it is wet and slippery.
Like everything in the cold, the asphalt seems to get on'ry and mean, intent on bringing down who it can and making sure the fall is felt.
And what of the footballers, those brave souls who not only brave the weather and the oval conditions, but also 21 other people trying to knock them over all day.
There are few things in sport more foreboding than warming up in the changerooms and hearing the rain smashing on the roof above and the wind attempting to lift the lid right off.
Like all challenges, you have your strategies in place, you'll keep moving and stay warm - you'll thrive on the contest.
But reality is the moment you run out you are kidnapped by the weather, by the time you have finished your warm-up you are soaked through.
The modern players don't have to contend with woollen jumpers and netball shirts and tops, but make no mistake, no matter how ground-breaking the new material, it can't win the fight and is soon fully sodden.
So you are cold, wet and when the siren sounds, you now have to put your body on the line and do whatever you can to get that hunk of leather.
You get tackled, bumped, sprigged and dumped in a pool of water, a pile of mud or both.
It always stings more when you're cold and wet and muddy.
To make matters worse when you do get that chance to get the footy, you discover it has turned into a lump of lead.
This normally happens within the first 10 minutes and not only does it nearly break your foot and hand with each disposal, but it is like a lethal weapon when you have to try and mark it.
The chest mark is your best friend, with a mark in your hands just asking for broken fingers.
It is an unforgiving business playing in these games, nothing comes easy.
While these conditions do create low scores and some upsets, former South Warrnambool and Koroit coach Noel Mugavin has a theory he used to share with his players.
Mugavin believed the most skilful players do not lose their skills on such days and indeed are likely to stand out even more because of their ability to be clean.
Mugavin had first-hand experience of these type of conditions and on one famous occasion, the 1991 Hampden grand final, in particular.
The Roosters played Terang at Mortlake in a mud bath, winning the game 2.6. 18 to 1.6. 12.
The game proved Mugavin's theory correct, with one of the Roosters greatest ever players, Leigh Marris, claiming the Ron Hoy Medal for best on ground.
Also high on the best player list that day was champion ruckman Richard Umbers, showing that the best big men could shine on the wettest of days.
The results from the weekend just gone confirm football is a broad church, no matter the conditions.
From tough solid onballers (Liam Hoy - Koroit), to silky former AFL players (Lewis Taylor- Terang Mortlake), to brutal straight line hardmen (Sam Alberts - Russells Creek), to goalkicking machines (Robbie Hare- Allansford) and pocket rockets (Jye Turland- Warrnambool).
So next time you wake up on a cold and windy Saturday morning this winter, spare a thought for these men and women who suit up and head out alongside their mates, come what may.
