North Wangaratta Football Netball Club president Gary O’Keefe said club members had been expecting the present works to remove lead contamination from the oval would take longer than anticipated.

“How the work was progressing, we knew that it was not going to be ready,” he said.

Wangaratta Council this week said unforeseen delays reduced the chances of games returning to North Wangaratta Recreation Reserve in June as hoped.

“Council and the EPA held on to that day for a long time until realism hit them and they knew that we couldn’t get there,” Mr O’Keefe said with a laugh.

The club has not been allowed full use of its ground since May 2016 when lead was found in soil samples at the site’s eastern boundary.

Mr O’Keefe said this week’s announcement made little difference to the club’s present playing arrangements.

“It’s pretty much status quo, as we’ve been for the last two years now,” he said.

“We’ve played our home games away and we’ve done all the shifting of the bar and alcohol and the food, all those sorts of things to keep surviving.

“We don’t have any fences or anywhere that we can put sponsors’ signs to be displayed, so there’s no sponsorship money coming in, it’s all just canteen.”

But the club president said things had been improving this season, with members looking forward to a better home facility next year.

“Morale and support’s been really good,” Mr O’Keefe said.

“We’re increasing our numbers at training each week actually, they’re all really keen to get out and have a go.

“We do have to survive this year and stay alive.

“The way the ground is going to come up eventually for 2019 it’ll be a fantastic place to be.

“I think all the players and close supporters understand that, we're just struggling through to make sure we stay alive for 2019.”