With the first bounce of the ANZ NFNL Women’s competition less than two weeks away, Pascoe Vale is stepping up its training loads and preparing to launch into the 2018 season.
The Panthers will be competing in Division 1 of the ANZ NFNL Women’s league against Bendigo, Darebin, Diamond Creek Women’s, Keilor, VU Western Spurs and Whitehorse.
After taking over the coaching reigns in August last year, Sam Scollo is excited about the prospects 2018 will offer his team.
“We’ve been training since early November and it’s all been going really well,” Scollo told NFNL.org.au.
“We’ve had good numbers at the club and they’ve all shown a high level of commitment and intensity.”
Pascoe Vale finished the 2017 season in ninth-place on the Division 1 ladder, with a 2-12 record.
With plenty of new faces at the club, Scollo is looking forward to watching his team find their feet and come together.
“Our goal is to continually improve and to find our best and continue to work at that level. We want to find some cohesion amongst the team and continue to learn,” Scollo said.
“It’s a learning curve. A lot of girls have come to the club from other codes and even other states so we want them to fall in love with the atmosphere and the game.
“We have a few rugby girls who have come to the club and they’ve just started to love the game. They didn’t realise how technical and demanding it is, so that’s been great as well.”
Pascoe Vale’s season begins on Sunday April 8, with a home game against 2017 runner-up Diamond Creek Women’s at Raeburn Reserve.
Scollo said his side was looking forward to the challenge of again playing the best sides in the NFNL.
“Playing in Division 1 is a challenge we’re looking forward to,” he said.
“We didn’t have a very successful year last year in regards to wins but we’re hoping to have a bit more luck with injuries this year and put our best team out each week.
“We’re excited for the year ahead. The girls are sick of tackling each other and want to see how we go against the other teams.”
Image by Marion Phillips
