St Pat's went down to Souths, Lithgow Panthers and Orange United in wet conditions on Sunday, however, the team was without six regulars in its line-up, meaning a number of younger players had a chance to impress the coach.

"We actually had six of our regulars out, so it was a good opportunity to get some young girls in that we haven't really seen," Weal said.

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"With COVID last year, we weren't allowed to watch the young girls play, so it was a good opportunity to see where some our younger girls are at. It was a bit of learning experience for them but it was just a good opportunity to blow some cobwebs off."

Weal said there were a number of youngsters that impressed, particularly Lauren Nobes.

"I haven't really seen her play much but she was quite impressive. She's got a fair way to go first, but with some work we'll get there," he said.

"There's been a couple of other girls that have come back to the club. I haven't seen them play in a while, so it was good to get them out there, to see where they're at."

Ahead of the Premier League Hockey's start, Weal said his team is shaping up nicely but there's still a few things he'd like to improve.

"Maybe there's a bit more improvement in fitness that needs to be done, but that'll come in the next few weeks," he said.

"We played three games on Sunday and while we didn't win one, for a period when we had the strongest team we had on the field together, we looked pretty good.

"I'm happy where we're at. There's always improvement and you don't want to be hitting your straps right now because it's a long season."

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