Merewether's Richie Campbell feels a new national league schedule may help Australia's water polo players better prepare for next year's postponed Olympics in Tokyo.
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Campbell, already a three-time Olympian, will join fellow national representatives in a meeting with Water Polo Australia officials via teleconference on Friday.
This follows last week's announcement about the Games, which has been delayed 12 months until 2021 because of the global coronavirus pandemic, and the 32-year-old now wants next domestic season to be less intense.
Campbell has proposed an earlier November start to the upcoming season and spacing out matches, to assist Sharks and Stingers squad members from fatiguing before an Olympic campaign.
"We had been training two sessions a day with [Australian coach] Elvis [Fatovic], plus club commitments and backing up for games, sometimes four in-a-row, and then working full-time as well," Campbell said.
"I think the idea was to jam-pack the season in and get it done so afterwards we could train together for the Olympics.
"We [myself and other players] have got a teleconference meeting on Friday to talk about what the season should like next year.
"Starting earlier in November could work and still finishing when we were going to this year [late March, early April]. Maybe sometimes one game a week and break over Christmas."
Campbell, who captains UNSW Wests Magpies, has welcomed a chance to "refresh" before the Games.
Fellow Novocastrian and Sharks representative Nathan Power wrapped up a two-week isolation period at home in New Lambton on Wednesday, flying back to Australia last month after his playing commitments in Croatia finished.
His contract with current club VK Jadran Split finishes after this season, which has been put on hold amid the COVID-19 crisis.
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