Healesville learns the ropes fast to claim Eastern Region Women’s premiership
They haven’t been playing long but Healesville’s women have learned their lessons quickly and that steep learning curve has ended with a premiership.
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A first-year coach and a super-keen bunch of players new to the game, capped an outstanding season of development with a grand final win last weekend.
Healesville’s side in the Eastern Region Women’s Outer-East Division has come on in leaps and bounds this season and, on Saturday night, celebrated an 8.2 (50) to 1.2 (8) win over Monbulk in the grand final.
Jaimee Petersen and Dannielle Jones kicked three goals apiece to bankroll the win while Alexandra Bryan, Kelly Marie Laidlaw, Debbie Watson and Imogen Renouf joined Petersen and Jones in heading a very long list of good players.
“Only one of the senior girls had played before and some had played some junior footy,” coach Mitch Hay said
A longtime player at the club, Hay confessed he hadn’t been sure what to make of starting a women's team.
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BLOODS VETS IN PREMIERSHIP WIN
After a year at the helm, however, he said he's proud to be a convert.
“I took the job on at pre-season,” he said. “My wife and my sister-in-law were playing and I just said ‘I’ll help out on game day’.
“But they all said, ‘no, you’re doing it’. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
“Coaching the girls has been a great journey because of all the buy-in we’ve had.”
With so many players new to the game, skill level always loomed as the biggest hurdle this season, although training on the wide expanses at Healesville gave the Bloods a big advantage when it came to the running game.
“They’ve got to learn the basic skills but I think another pre-season under their belts is only going to make them better,” Hay said. “We identified that if we weren’t the most skilful then we’ll be the fittest.”
While it’s been a tough season for Healesville’s senior side in the revamped AFL Outer-East, a flag win in the veterans competition and now the women’s success has warmed an, at times, chilly winter.
Hay said there’s a lot to like about Healesville with plans afoot to reactivate the under-18 boys’ side as well as starting an under-18 girls’ team.
“You’ve got to have a pathway for them to come up from the under-16s,” Hay said. “There’s a real vibe around the place, probably better than it has ever been.”
Eastern Region Women
Outer-East Region Grand Final
Healesville Sports Ground (Saturday, August 31)
Healesville 3.1 4.1 6.2 8.2 (50)
Monbulk 0.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 (8)
HEALESVILLE Goal Kickers: D. Jones 3, J. Petersen 3, D. Watson, C. Martin Best Players: D. Jones, A. Bryan, J. Petersen, K. Laidlaw, D. Watson, I. Renouf
MONBULK Goal Kickers: M. Dodd Best Players: M. Horne, S. Turner, G. Seamer, S. Foots, I. Bakker
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