Heidelberg’s senior women’s team has already made its mark in the NFNL Women’s competition.
The Tigers booted 26 goals in a huge win over fellow newcomers Hurstbridge in their inaugural match in the NFNL Women’s competition and the victory has left the side hungry for more.
Coach Mitch Skelly said following the opening grading game the team are pushing for even more success.
“We’re genuinely inspired to lift the level of training and standards of football we play,” Skelly told NFNL.org.au.
Skelly said that prior to the game the side assumed they would be a Division 3 side but are now heading into the next few rounds of grading with higher expectations.
“There is now belief we can be competing at the Div 2 level,” he said.
In preparation for the opening game, Skelly said the team worked like all other teams focusing on “fitness, skills and a brand of footy that [they] want to implement”.
Throughout training fundamental skills, game sense drills and team structures were focus points.
“Nobody knew what to expect in our first game, so it was nice to see all the hard work payoff,” he said.
“However, we are also aware we are coming up against more formidable opponents in the future.”
Round 1 was “full of highlights” for Skelly and he is excited to see the progression of the team, including the development of their leadership group.
“For 2019 I can’t wait to see our co-captains Ash Riley and Cassia Menkhorst in action,” he said.
“They’re both brilliant in their own way and have embraced the opportunity to lead the group into its maiden season.”
Amongst the talented side, Emma Rowe is a player who missed the season opener but is one that will “excite the fans” and draw in crowds, according to Skelly.
“Emma is like a combination of Peter Daicos and Tony Modra,” he said.
“Equally capable in the air or on the ground and [has] the type of goal sense you just can’t teach.”
Skelly said that whilst it’s impossible to set goals in regard to ideal number of games to be won or ladder position, they’re looking at the bigger picture for the rest of the season.
“We want to enjoy our footy, play as a cohesive unit and improve each week,” Skelly said.
“The aim is to make each player better…whether they have ambitions of playing VFLW or they just want to kick a drop punt 20 metres.”
Along with the goals for the team, Skelly also has is own ambitions for the season.
“A personal goal of mine is to finish higher than any other team who is new to the comp this year, as this is a realistic bench mark against other clubs facing the same situation as we are,” he said.
The situation referred to by Skelly is being a start up club in the NFNL senior Women’s competition, a circumstance for many clubs in the league.
When Heidelberg made the decision to enter a women’s side into the competition it was important to involve as many juniors and locals as possible.
“We have four girls who played youth footy at the club in 2018 [and] also five players whose fathers are club life members,” Skelly said.
“This connection to the past is something we are proud of, and something which as been embraced.”
Like many of the new teams, Heidelberg has a wide demographic of players that range in skill level and age, with only four players having open age footy prior to this season.
“We have players ranging from 18 to 34, 10 years experience to brand new and everything in between,” Skelly said.
“We have some players who are capable of playing Div 1 footy and others who had genuinely never kicked a ball before, so our group is very diverse.
“I’m fortunate to work with a player group that is very mindful of their differences and the challenge presented and we really just want each player to reach their potential as a footballer.”
For Skelly, a long-time coach of women’s football, “coaching a women’s side is extremely rewarding and fun”.
“Women’s footy is such a pure form of the game,” he said.
“Everyone is there for no other reason than wanting to do the best they can and have a good time while they’re at it.”
