Left Photo: Alyssa Foster, Jade Jerome, Amy Ivandich, Shoniquah Wilson-Bandy, Amelia Tooker, Ava Hagger
Right Photo: Tayla Keillor (Asst Coach ), Jasmin Hall, Alyssa Foster, Jade Jerome, Amy Ivandich, Ellie Suriano, Ben Tooker (Coach), Amelia Tooker
I brought my daughter down to the club at the beginning of the year to see if she would be interested in playing Australian Football. A few weeks in and I was approached to assist with the training. Before I knew it I had been nominated the head coach and was wracking my brain trying to remember my junior footy days and the drills we used to do 30+ years ago. The assistant coach Tayla was a big help here as she has a much better knowledge of modern training structure and drills than I.
The girls bonded quickly and showed a level of skill and tenacity that was far beyond what I was expecting. The team developed well throughout the year and it was a real pleasure to watch their skills improve. It was also great to see the girls start using tactics like quick handpasses and marking up without having to think about what they were doing. Despite our small numbers I felt that we outperformed the other teams in most of the games we played and had heaps of fun in every match along the way.
I thoroughly enjoyed the season, and Milly and I will be back next year. I think we will see some of these girls in the Women’s Football League in the not too distant future.
Gooooo Bulldogs – WOOF WOOF!
Ben Tooker (Coach)