Round 1 Review
The Lady Cats first game of the season was always going to be a tough day at the office.
Availability to make the long trek out to the central coast is always a challenge for us and this year was no different. We were only able to field 14 and Killarney Vale were OK to play 14 on 14 to keep it as even as possible. Of course, when you are playing 14 on the field with 5 subs you are going to be a bit fresher than the team with only 14, at least two of whom aren't supposed to be running.
The Cats put in a valiant performance, with every player putting in everything they had in the tank, and we did our best to move people around as much as possible but we just couldn't compete with the speed, skills and class of the Killarney Vale team.
The beginning of a season is always difficult for teams with high turnover as the new combinations learn how to work together and get the best out of each other. Captain Natalie Heard, and vice captains Samantha Rodrigues and Eila Mills did a fantastic job controlling the backs, forwards and middle respectively.
Shout outs to Steph Seagrave who took on the ruck with Chloe Annandale recovering from injury, and Samantha Seagrave and Samantha Rodrigues also did fantastic jobs in the ruck when asked.
Unfortunately we weren't able to get any points on the board but we had a few solid periods of time in the forward 50, some fantastic tackles all across the ground and a whole lot of effort and commitment from the girls who were able to play and that's all Ranga and I can ask for each week.
CAPTAIN's COMMENT (Natalie Heard)
"Although half the players on the field last week were new, I am so proud of the way that we all had each other's backs and worked as a team to lift each other up. The new girls really stepping up to the plate and gave it everything they had against stiff competition. We really showed fight and determination and as we get more players on board, and put in the hard yards at training we will see it all start to pay off and I'm excited to see our team build this year."
Round 2 Preview
We have put the call out for more new players and it has been exciting to see quite a few new faces at training over the past week. This has us in the position of have a reasonable sized bench for this weeks game against Singleton and we are looking forward to seeing how everyone goes.
For this weeks game, we are still shuffling people through positions as we manage injuries and work out where everyone fits and we are excited to see what the girls will be able to do. If our trial match against Singleton is anything to go by, it should be a close one.
Player in Focus - Emma Knowles
Emma has been thrown in the deep end in the centre, improving every game and putting in the time at training. Only new to AFL she has been asking questions constantly to keep getting better. Look out for her streaming through the centre against the Rooster this weekend.
This weeks preview has been brought to by the Muswellbrook Laundrette
