Sports columnist SIMON ANDERSON catches up with a very happy Canberra Cavalry captain, pleased at the prospect of playing a full season of baseball. 

THERE have been many people who have offered their opinion on the last couple of years when it comes to the pandemic and sport.

Canberra Cavalry club captain Robbie Perkins summarised his experience in a way that few people could argue with.

“It has been a bit of a mess really,” Perkins told “CityNews”.

“Two years ago we played Melbourne for about five out of six weeks purely because they were the only team we could play because of all the restrictions that were in place.

“Last year the season got cancelled completely and we could only play a few friendly series.”

It is a relief for Perkins, his team and the wider baseball community in Canberra that the Cavalry has locked in a full return to a 10-week regular season format, with Geelong-Korea and Auckland Tuatara back into the competition after a covid-enforced absence.

The Cavalry are set to open the 2022/23 ABL season with consecutive series at home, opening the year against old rivals the Sydney Blue Sox on November 10 in Narrabundah.

“It is awesome to get back to a normal schedule where we can prepare properly and enjoy the season again,” said Perkins, who has described the challenges of trying to have a professional league play during covid.

“There were a lot of unknowns over the last couple of years, preparing for a season where there were holdouts on telling us whether it was or wasn’t going ahead.

“A couple of years back we were rolling up on Wednesday night to train, not knowing where the league was going to try and send us.

“On a few occasions we were jumping on planes at the last minute leaving behind families, work and all of those other commitments – it was really tough on the majority of the players.

“It is really nice to have that date locked in for November so that we can prepare for knowing that there is nothing that can stop it this year.”

The coming months leading up to the first pitch will be a busy one for the club, as they get back into the routine of hosting a full season’s worth of matches at the local MIT Ballpark.

The Cavalry will also be putting together a squad that can be competitive and go one step further after playoff exits over the past four seasons.

“There are a few gaps to fill,” said Perkins.

“It is hard to know as the recruitment process happens from the front office and we get trickled bits of information here and there, but nothing to release yet.

“As far as preparations go for the local contingent it is pretty slow going – we only have a handful of players here, not enough to make up the squad. So we get out there and do the training we need, but it will really ramp up in the month leading up to that first game.”

The Cavalry is expected to begin player announcements over the next few weeks, with the return of international players competing in the competition this year.

It means that Canberra locals will have the chance to see players who could go on to feature in the MLB, as more than 40 Australian league players have done previously.

One of the club’s alumni, Chuckie Robinson, became the latest Cavalry player to be signed by a Major League team when the Cincinnati Reds picked up his contract last month.

“It is pretty amazing when you get to play with someone who ends up doing that, or has already done it in their career,” said Perkins, who himself signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies in 2012.

“Chuckie is one of a few that have come through the Cavalry and the league who have gone on to play the Major Leagues in some capacity.

“To see people succeed like that is always such a good boost for not only the team but also the league as a whole.

“For the fans, they get to see a whole lot of talent – players like me who have had our time in professional baseball and now just play in the ABL and for Team Australia.

“They also get players who come out from the professional clubs who they can keep track of, watch their career progress and see if they do make it to the Major Leagues and have that personal connection to them that you don’t really get in America.”