THE Central West's top women's players are out to show what the region's stars can do this Saturday when they travel to Nowra to face the Sapphire Coast.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
After a year away from representative football the team won't know too much about what to expect from their opponents this Saturday, but they'll be confident of putting in a good performance following Sunday's positive training session.
The squad is dominated by Bathurst Giants players - who take up 12 of the 21 places - and club members Michael Sloan and Liz Kennedy are the Central West team's coach and manager respectively.
Kennedy said the team bonded well over that recent session together and they should do Central West proud in their trip away.
"The squad overall is really quite strong," she said.
"We met on Sunday to have a little training run in Orange, with a bit of a meet and greet. It was lovely to see how well the girls got along.
"We said that we now put away the club jerseys and we put on the Central West jerseys and that we're one team."
Kennedy said the rise in the standard of women's football in the region has been exciting to watch.
"I think that the level has really started to improve," she said.
"For us at the Giants, we've been able to keep our core group together, and it's the same for the girls at Dubbo. Bushrangers are going through a rebuilding phase but I think the overall skills across all the teams is something that's really impressed me.
"At our girls' training the other night I took note of the fact that a lot of them are now kicking 50 metres and a few years ago that wasn't such a common thing. I think that's really exciting for women's footy."
Central West will be looking towards the likes of Dubbo Demons' Emily Warner and Giants' Kaitlyn Kennedy to drive the team forward in this weekend's clash.
Casey White, Competition and Development Coordinator for the Central West, said it will be valuable for the junior representative players in attendance at Nowra to watch the senior side in action.
"The Central West continues to develop elite female talent, and whilst we are proud of our former players that have moved to metro leagues, we have an obligation to provide an opportunity to those who remain in the region to extend themselves against other great players," he said.
"To have the women's match immediately after the youth girls Central West versus Sapphire Coast game provides a chance for our emerging talent to see a pathway to success.
"The Women's fixture is such an important part of the carnival now, and to have it showcased on the main field, at a family friendly time is going to be great promotion for female football."
Game starts 1pm at Nowra Showground.
CENTRAL WEST: Laycee Covington-Gorst, Sarah Day, Chelsea Gibbs, Elise Gullifer, Olivia Johnston, Kaitlyn Kennedy, Mikaela Kingham, Zoe Peters, Hailee Provest, Aimee Schmidt, Tamara Thompson (Bathurst Giants), Lyndall Bassett, Katlyn Read, Elizabeth Gibson, Erin Naden, Jacqui Ryan (Orange Tigers), Amy Bush, Chloe Hinde, Elly Rudd (Bathurst Bushrangers), Korine Coleman, Kaitlyn Waldie, Emily Warner (Dubbo Demons)
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:
- Bookmark www.westernadvocate.com.au
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Google News