If you’ve been to GIANTS HQ at Sydney Olympic Park before, you’ll know how welcoming it is.

You’re welcomed in to watch training, grab a coffee in the club’s cafe and mingle with some of the best players in the competition.

It’s a unique environment. But with everything going on in the world at the moment, now we’re facing a different kind of unique.

Ash is still at the front desk but she’s just taking calls and deliveries and turning away any visitors.

The door from the cafe to the football department reads, ‘Athletes and required staff only past this point’.

The administration side is eerily quiet as staff have been told to work from home until further notice.

Monday of round one started for Matt Buntine at North Bondi beach. Adaptions have already been made.

The Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre is closed until further notice and so a beach was considered the next best option for team recovery.

“We do recovery off-site fairly often so apart from the traffic getting back to Sydney Olympic Park, it wasn’t too different,” Buntine said. 

"We’re fortunate to have really adaptable schedules.”

Buntine has been adapting to the new precautions since last week. He and fellow defender Adam Kennedy have taken over from Dawson Simpson in the running of ‘Fit Club’ - twice-weekly personal training sessions for the club’s staff.

But with no access to the club’s gym for anyone but players, alas Fit Club is also on hold.

“I’d rather be up early training staff but it has given me more sleep ins which is probably good when there is a virus around,” Buntine said.

“It’s a shame our crew can’t come in but hopefully they’re training as hard as they can outside the club.”

Once the players arrived at the club, it was business as usual as the GIANTS get set to take on Geelong at a closed GIANTS Stadium on Saturday night.

On Mondays the players split into groups for rotations. Buntine is in Group C so he starts with meditation, recovery boots and personal development from 9am.

Then it’s a flush run and skills session in the next hour block before massage and screening.

At 12:30pm the entire squad gather for a team meeting.

As the club’s AFL Players Association (AFLPA) delegates, Buntine - along with Sam Reid - give an update from the AFLPA to the group.

"We’re the delegates so it’s important to keep the players informed on the discussions with the AFL and also get our players’ views and concerns,” he said.

“Everyone has different circumstances and views; players with young families and partners, the willingness to play with the minimal but unavoidable risks associated and many more might not be able to adapt as well to playing back-to-back games.

“It’s all generally positive and the AFL and AFLPA have been really proactive in looking after players and their health.

“The next question is if we can play in safe environments and then how it will look if we do get interruptions.”

Following the update, business as usual commenced again with new captain Stephen Coniglio leading a session about the upcoming season.

The day is done for the players at 1pm but they’ll gather again later in small groups for dinner and to listen in on the AFLPA call tonight which brings together all 1240 AFL and AFLW players.

“We usually get to switch off but we are all waiting for the conference call,” Buntine said.

“It’s a changing situation but it’ll be great to get the most up to date information.

“It could be a world record for the number of people on one call.”

These are uncertain times but for now - with the appropriate precautions and measures - Buntine and the GIANTS are keeping it as normal as possible as they prepare for the Cats on Saturday night.

“All the players - and the AFL - are hopeful we can play 198 games in whatever format is the safest for all players and fans,” Buntine said.

“Everyone is really open to being adaptable to making sure the most games can be played to give the fans the games they deserve.

“We’d love to get out there.”