Since my arrival in Adelaide 4 weeks ago, a squad of upto 40 players have been training together with the aim of making the final 20 to be named in the W League Squad for 2011/12.
The ladies have been working extremely hard to develop their fitness and to understand the game plan we are going to play this season and I am very pleased with the progress we are making as a team.
After a hard week of training focusing on developing our fitness we had a pre-season hit out against Para Hills Knights U15 Boys. The boys were league champions last season and many have gone on to play U17 and U19 Football so this was always going to be a very difficult test for the Lady Reds.
The game started at a hectic pace with the Lady Reds probably settling the quicker and surprising the boys with their intensity and competitiveness. We created one good early chance but just before she could finish, Rachael Quigley was thwarted by a desperate covering tackle. After this the boys settled and enjoyed a greater share of possession. Despite this the Lady Reds looked solid defensively, with the settling presence of NZ International Abbey Erceg, marshalling the back 4. With half time approaching a lapse in concentration allowed the Para Hills striker too much room on the edge of the box and he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the roof of Kristi Harveys net to give the boys a 1-0 lead. Disappointingly the girls conceded a second almost immediately after carelessly losing possession following the kick off.
2-0 at half time was not really a true reflection of the first half but highlights the importance of concentrating and continuing to play for the full 45 or 90 minutes of a game.
The second half saw almost a complete change in team for the Lady Reds, with only NZ Internationals Abby Erceg and Anna Green playing the full 90 minutes. Despite the changes, which saw a number of younger players representing the Lady Reds, the game followed a similar pattern with the girls producing 1 or 2 half chances but failing to put them away, whilst looking pretty solid at the back.
The final score of 3-0 was probably a fair reflection of the game and the standard of the boys but there were many encouraging signs from the Lady Reds.
Team: (1st half)Kristi Harvey, Greta French-Kennedy, Nenita Burgess, Abby Erceg, Anna Green, Jodi Bruce, Leanne Slater, Rachael Quigley (Katherine Ebbs), Donna Cockayne, Marijana Rajcic, Georgia Macri.
Team: (2nd half)Sarah Willacy, Roushan Walsh (Greta French-Kennedy), Abby Erceg, Laura Johns, Anna Green, Jess Nagel, Katherine Ebbs (Rachael Quigley), Maddie De Rou, Danielle Di Bartolo, Bec Souter, Vanessa Reed.
The ladies have been working extremely hard to develop their fitness and to understand the game plan we are going to play this season and I am very pleased with the progress we are making as a team.
After a hard week of training focusing on developing our fitness we had a pre-season hit out against Para Hills Knights U15 Boys. The boys were league champions last season and many have gone on to play U17 and U19 Football so this was always going to be a very difficult test for the Lady Reds.
The game started at a hectic pace with the Lady Reds probably settling the quicker and surprising the boys with their intensity and competitiveness. We created one good early chance but just before she could finish, Rachael Quigley was thwarted by a desperate covering tackle. After this the boys settled and enjoyed a greater share of possession. Despite this the Lady Reds looked solid defensively, with the settling presence of NZ International Abbey Erceg, marshalling the back 4. With half time approaching a lapse in concentration allowed the Para Hills striker too much room on the edge of the box and he unleashed an unstoppable strike into the roof of Kristi Harveys net to give the boys a 1-0 lead. Disappointingly the girls conceded a second almost immediately after carelessly losing possession following the kick off.
2-0 at half time was not really a true reflection of the first half but highlights the importance of concentrating and continuing to play for the full 45 or 90 minutes of a game.
The second half saw almost a complete change in team for the Lady Reds, with only NZ Internationals Abby Erceg and Anna Green playing the full 90 minutes. Despite the changes, which saw a number of younger players representing the Lady Reds, the game followed a similar pattern with the girls producing 1 or 2 half chances but failing to put them away, whilst looking pretty solid at the back.
The final score of 3-0 was probably a fair reflection of the game and the standard of the boys but there were many encouraging signs from the Lady Reds.
Team: (1st half)Kristi Harvey, Greta French-Kennedy, Nenita Burgess, Abby Erceg, Anna Green, Jodi Bruce, Leanne Slater, Rachael Quigley (Katherine Ebbs), Donna Cockayne, Marijana Rajcic, Georgia Macri.
Team: (2nd half)Sarah Willacy, Roushan Walsh (Greta French-Kennedy), Abby Erceg, Laura Johns, Anna Green, Jess Nagel, Katherine Ebbs (Rachael Quigley), Maddie De Rou, Danielle Di Bartolo, Bec Souter, Vanessa Reed.
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