Strap yourself in and get ready.

That's my message to AFL players who are set to embark in playing 33 games of football in 20 days.

In a season like no other, players are about to come under mental and physical strain like they’ve never felt before.

Already living in hubs all around the country, the players’ norm of living in their own homes with family and friends has already been disrupted.

After a few weeks of Melbourne based players voicing their concerns about hub life, it now appears they’re set to make the best of a bad situation.

But let’s face it.  It could be a hell of a lot worse, considering the season is still going ahead and the majority of people associated with the AFL industry are still in a job – while others in society fare much worse.

The team that knuckles down the best will bear the fruit of their hard labor.

Ladder leaders Port Adelaide have clearly improved on the field, but I suspect it’s their attitude of embracing and enjoying what the 2020 season has thrown at them, including hub life and game day fly in and outs which has them kicking goals.

Vice-Captain Hamish Hartlett revealed, "there's no doubt that we are having some downtime and really enjoying ourselves when we get a chance to but when we need to train hard and put the work in, we're making sure we are doing that.”

But as the games are set to come thick and fast, it’s the players and ultimately their teams who put the recovery of their bodies and mental well-being first who will be the ones who come out best in 2020.

Playing with 4-5 day breaks is far from ideal.  As you get older, recovery takes longer and the ability to back up for games becomes harder.

But with shorter quarters and every team having to play with short turnarounds, it's the players who invest time in themselves recovering and staying mentally fresh who will come out the best.

AFL players aren’t alone.  The big European Soccer clubs have been doing it for years, playing mid-week European and Cup games in between their usual weekend league fixtures.

Tapering of training loads and a focus of quality over quantity training will help, but it's the players themselves who must take the lead.

Sure, a Head of Fitness/Sports Scientist knows what you need, but no one knows your body better than yourself.

And that's why if you are struggling with niggles, sacrificing going without a regular golf game or surf is a small price you have to pay to ensure on-field success.

More games mean higher fatigue, quicker turnaround and it’s most likely that the majority of players won’t be able to fully recover between games - but all players are in the same boat.

As AFL Fixture Boss Travis Auld revealed on South Australian radio, “rather than sit around they (the players) would rather play more often.”

It makes sense having already had a 12-week gap between round one and two.

That’s why it’s imperative that clubs carefully manage players game time and training loads, but it also requires coaches to carefully consider whether resting senior-players at times may be better for individuals but also for the club by exposing youngsters to senior football.

Should they be called upon, a rotation of the full playing squad during the crammed mid-season fixture could be an option.

Quality sleep, healthy diet and maintaining a positive attitude is the way through the upcoming footy fixture cluster.

The team that apply a “can do” attitude to the coming months of football will set their teams up for premiership glory.

And while the league is facing great uncertainty with what lies ahead, be assured, the teams who embrace season 2020 as an opportunity will succeed far greater than those who see it as an inconvenience.