On Tuesday, the A-League confirmed it was restarting its 2019/20 season with a Melbourne Victory and Western United clash on July 16 kickstarting a run of 27-games in 28 days before a finals campaign at the end of August. 

But despite being the last major league in Australia to suspend play in the face of COVID-19, the A-League is now set to also be the last to resume its play with both the AFL and NRL back in action while the A-League enters a new 'mid-season pre-season'. 

At times, the negotiations to bring back the highest tier of Australian football felt like it was lurching from one crisis point to another, with disagreements between the various stakeholders threatening to derail any hopes of a 19/20 conclusion.

And even with dates announced, negotiations with broadcaster Fox Sports remain ongoing.

Nonetheless, with clubs and players now back at training ahead of an anticipated return to play, Brillante is pleased to see football coming back to life once more. 

“It’s massive, just for the game of football in Australia it’s huge,” the midfielder said today. 

“The A-League over the years has been growing and growing. I think football is one of the most popular sports with kids around Australia so for us to keep playing games is so important. 

“There are a lot of people around the country that love the sport, we love playing it so it would have been sad to not be able to finish the season and then have a long period of unknown. It’s great to finalise that and get back into it.”

Before the March shutdown, Brillante and his teammates sat second on the A-League ladder, four points clear of third-placed Wellington Phoenix, but with the Kiwis having three games in hand.

Table-toppers Sydney FC had an eight-point lead going into lockdown while also having three games in hand - making City's chances of overhauling them virtually impossible. 

But the FFA confirming a finals campaign will still be salvaged from 2019/20 means City’s could yet  add to the club's lone 2016 FFA Cup win.

And for Brillante, who left Sydney to sign with City ahead of the current campaign, the unexpected three-month break in the league - in which City was one of the few clubs that didn't stand down its playing group - means that the championship is well and truly up for grabs.

"It’s been a long time, I think everyone at the club is very happy to be back,” he said. 

“You can do as much fitness by yourself but it’s not the same as being back as a whole squad and playing those game type of situations. 

“I think myself and the whole squad are at a really high level. Melbourne City have been great to us, we’ve had communication and programs to follow.

"We did some testing yesterday and they showed us stats yesterday that the averages came back higher than week eight of the pre-season. So the physicality is there, it’s just a matter of cohesion. 

“It’s been a long time, it’s over three months once we start playing games. It’s a longer break than we normally have in even the offseason. 

“It’s a strange time, it’s become more than a mini-tournament in a sense. 

“We hadn’t cemented second place yet, so I think it’s more important to get results in these games that we have left.

"That second spot and finals would be massive. But we’ve seen in previous years just because you’re in the top-two spots in finals doesn’t guarantee you a grand final spot. 

Having played more games than any other A-League side prior to the competition’s suspension, Melbourne City need to complete just three more contest to wrap up their 2019/20 regular season, with games against Western United, Adelaide United and Sydney FC – that all were set to be played in Victoria – on the agenda.

Initially, the proposed NSW-based hub model for the league’s completion would have seen City play Western United at AAMI Park upon the resumption of play, before shifting to Sydney for games against the Reds and Harboursiders.

However, with moves by both Federal and State Governments to begin to lift COVID-19 restrictions surrounding interstate travel, live stadium attendance and more, the possibility that City could see out their season in their home state – with fans in attendance – has come back into play.

But while City may only have three games left on their slate, a number of other clubs such as Sydney FC, Perth Glory and Wellington Phoenix - the latter two of whom will be forced to relocate to the East Coast to complete the season - have six games remaining to complete the season. 

Needing to get those games out of the way as quickly as possible - the A-League will play 27 games in 28 days as it makes a dash for the finish line - and the FFA’s adoption of a FIFA recommendation that would allow club up to five substitutes does, according to Brillante, set the scene for potential intrigue. 

“I think it can go both ways," he said. "Having less games means less competitive matches leading into finals, more games means more competitive games heading but obviously you’ve got more matches in a short period of time so there’s a fatigue factor. 

“It can go both ways so it will be interesting to see how things pan out.”