Our girls ventured back to Castlefield Reserve for our round three clash against Ormond. Unfortunately, Ormond only had four players and we had no hesitation to give them six of our players so we could play 10 per side. It shows the depth of our numbers as we had 16 Rovers girls and Jasmyn was sick. To the girls’ credit, none of them complained at all about having to turn their jumper inside out and play for Ormond. All of them had their turn and tried their best when representing the other team. The girls understood that they were better off doing that rather than the game being called off or having to sit on the bench with us.
Tilly, who arrived looking like she’d done three rounds with Mike Tyson after the accidental head knock she copped at training, was announced as captain for the day alongside Poppy. We all welcomed Jess T who joined the team during the week after enjoying her first training session on Wednesday night.
The girls seemed to take a little longer to find their rhythm this week and that was no doubt due to the fact that Ormond were applying really good pressure courtesy of the six Rovers girls who were on their side. Nevertheless, once the girls got rolling they didn’t look back. The Rovers pulled away for a comprehensive win and managed to keep Ormond goalless.
In light of the result being invalid since Ormond technically forfeited and that all of our girls played with them at times, I have decided to write a comment about each of our players individually rather than do an overall game summary this week.
Poppy – continues to improve every week and is a very determined player. She gets involved in the play where she can to help the team. Her kicks get longer at every session which is very pleasing to see.
Michaela – absolutely loves to lay a tackle and almost has a smile on her face as she does just that. For someone new to footy in 2019 she has come a long way in a short period of time and will continue to thrive in the Rovers environment.
Lily – shows her experience and leadership on the field and enjoys taking marks and kicking long as per instructions. The opposition find it hard to counter her height which she uses to advantage.
Hannah – our youngest player is a little jet and loves tackling hard, taking a bounce and kicking a goal – she did really well to kick three on Saturday, even though she was trying to bring her teammates into the game. I’d hate to be one of her older brothers when kicking with Hannah in the backyard at home!
Tess – another one who is new to footy and continues to improve each week as she plays more games and attends all training sessions. The extra kicking sessions she is doing is helping her gain more mileage from the boot. Like all other girls, Tess loves playing in a team and loves the Rovers environment.
Audrey P – also new to the game in 2019 and always has a smile on her face. She is growing in confidence each week and has learnt how to effectively dispose of the ball whilst being tackled. Audrey is using her pace to great effect as well.
Sophie – always does exactly as asked without any fuss. Reads the play well and is the general for us in the last line of defence when playing down back. Sophie thoroughly deserved the coaches award she was given on the weekend after another very strong four quarter performance.
Tara – like the other girls, she loves playing the game. She is very determined and prides herself on her tackling. Tara has no fear and gets involved in every contest. The score card indicates she kicked 5 points on the weekend so a bag of goals is just around the corner.
Cate – gaining great experience each week by playing in a mixed side as well. She continues to improve and kicked a goal on Saturday for the second week in a row which was fantastic. She must almost sleep up at Boss James!
Sienna – another determined player who keeps making headway after each game and training session. She is happy to do whatever role is asked of her. She kicked four points on the weekend so is also close to a big goal game if she keeps working hard.
Jazzey (Johnny!) – continues to learn how to use her (express) pace and tackling ability. Another great game on the weekend with three goals which makes it seven for the past two weeks – must be leading the U10 Coleman medal if there was one!
Audrey H – an experienced player who has a very positive influence on the younger girls. She goes in hard and loves to take a bounce if she gets clear. Another strong four quarter effort on the weekend.
Tilly – showed her courage after taking an accidental knock at training during the week. That didn’t stop her and she was going in fiercely in the game with no concern which was great to see. For a first year player the signs are extremely encouraging for the future.
Bianca – brings experience to the group and is a very strong overhead mark and is always lively when playing up forward. Her skills will continue to develop as the season progresses.
Jessica W – another of the experienced girls who influences the group positively. Jessica is always around the contest and her kicks keep getting longer and her strong marking is a key part of her game.
Jess T – played her first ever game of AFLW on Sunday after coming down to training during the week. She had no fear and was in and under the ball all day. Jess will improve quickly with more game and training time.
Jasmyn (was sick on Sunday) – is a great player for the team. Trains and plays hard and rubs off on the whole group in a very positive way. Jasmyn dominates in any position and reads the play really well. We missed her on the weekend but look forward to having her back with us on Wednesday.
In summary, the U10 girls, who are a newly formed team for the Hampton Rovers, are full of AFLW stars of the future. It is a pleasure to coach the group and every single one of them loves this great game and listen to instructions carefully. The future of girls footy at the club is full of promise!! The improvement that we all witness in their play every week is amazing as well as very exciting.
