Dandenong Stingrays name NAB League Girls squad and players to watch
Young and pacy, the Dandenong Stingrays will be out to run opponents off their feet this season, according to coach Nick Cox.
South East
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Before training at Seaford last night the Dandenong Stingrays NAB League Girls squad sang happy birthday to Charley Ryan.
Coach Nick Cox hopes his players will be singing again on Saturday, this time the club song.
Having had the bye in Round 1, the Stingrays open their 2021 season against Sandringham Dragons at SkyBus Stadium at Frankston.
It will be the Rays’ first match since the 2020 season was torpedoed after three rounds.
Understandably, they’re eager to return to the ground after a long absence.
Cox said the club used the bye well.
“We got a bit of extra PD (personal development) into them with a day camp last Saturday and it was very beneficial for us, just to get to know the girls more,’’ he said.
“Some of them have had four coaches in four years, so it’s taken a little bit for them to get used to me and vice-versa.
“But it’s a wonderful group of girls, really willing to learn and get better, which has made our job as coaches easier.’’
As part of a restructure of the league, the head coaches in each region will coach the girls and boys teams.
Cox has as his senior assistant Steph Binder, whose presence provides some continuity for the players. Binder helped Dave Carden with the Stingrays girls last year, is a former St Kilda VFLW player and has coached in the St Kilda Next Generation Academy program.
The Stingrays have only two 19-year-old players in the squad, Zoe Hill and Abbey Jordan, who has been named co-captain. Both spent some time training with St Kilda in the pre-season.
Hill will slot in to the backline and can take a turn in the ruck, and the athletic Jordan will be used on the ball and across half back.
“Since they’ve come back here they’ve been really good with their training standards and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can do,’’ Cox said.
He said the Stingrays had a lot of bottom-age players – one of them, Emily Shepherd, is deputy vice-captain – and the team would be young, energetic and quick.
“We’ll have about 14 bottom-age players on Saturday, which is exciting for us,’’ he said.
“In saying that, it leaves us a little bit of an unknown in what we’re going to produce.’’
Of the top-agers, the club puts co-captain Ash Richards, vice-captain Jaide Anthony and Jennifer MacDonald in the players-to-watch bracket.
Anthony, who is also an accomplished Premier Cricketer with Prahran, was in the Academy last year but let go.
“She’s got a bit to prove,’’ Cox noted.
Richards is a forward and midfielder, and kicks the ball exceptionally well. MacDonald continues to work on her skills as she displays great pace. Then there’s Bella Enno, who was in the top 10 in the yo-yo at the league testing day, and Jemma Radford, a natural footballer in the style of former Stingray Jess Matin.
Of the bottom-age girls, Amber Clarke is already highly regarded and ran 3.162 in the 20m sprint at the testing; Mackenzie Eardley was third in the 20m sprint; Shepherd is an onballer and small forward with tenacity and skill; and birthday girl Ryan is also expected to come under notice.
Ella Dempster, who has a basketball background, will play in the ruck, as will Ella Watts (the daughter of Mornington Peninsula great “Digger’’ Watts and Chloe Howes).
The Rays were ranked No 1 overall for pace at the testing, and the coaches are encouraging the players to use it.
“We want the girls to take the game on and try to keep our shape and our width and run teams off their feet,’’ Cox said.
“We’re not overly tall and we haven’t got any massive targets so we want that run-and-carry to come through, take all the territory we can.’’
Wits are suggesting the teams will be playing for the Wheeler Cup on Saturday given that Dragons talent manager Mark Wheeler had a long run in the same role at the Rays.
It could also be the Toby Jedwab Cup; the Stingrays’ new talent lead crossed from the Dragons as part of the restructure.
Saturday’s clash starts at 11am.
STINGRAYS NAB LEAGUE GIRLS SQUAD 2021
Keely Byrne (Mt Eliza JFC)
Mackenzie Eardley (Beleura JFC)
Amber Clarke (Narre North Foxes JFC)
Bella Enno (Mt Eliza JFC)
Ella Watts (Mt Martha JFC)
Abbey Jordan (Rye/Sorrento JFC)
Emily Shepherd (Mt Eliza JFC)
Alisha Liddle (Narre North Foxes JFC)
Jade Hillas (Devon Meadows JFC)
Brooke Ellis (South Belgrave JFC)
Zoe Hill (Mt Eliza JFC)
Jennifer MacDonald (Devon Meadows JFC)
Charlotte Blair (Devon Meadows JFC)
Charley Ryan (Beleura JFC)
Maddison Baker (Mt Eliza JFC)
Jemma Radford (Pearcedale JFC)
Rhianna Clemow (Beaconsfield JFC)
Ashleigh Richards (Beleura JFC)
Willow Argus (Beleura JFC)
Sarah Hosking (Pearcedale JFC)
Felicity Crank (Mt Martha JFC)
Hayley Monk (Somerville JFC)
Mikayla Cipriani (Narre North Foxes JFC)
Jaide Anthony (Mt Martha JFC)
Ella Dempster (Bonbeach JFC)
Sophie Butterworth (Beleura JFC)
Olivia Laity (Balnarring JFC)
Amelie Blair (Devon Meadows JFC)
Eloise McCrae (Narre North Foxes JFC)
Chloe Howes (Langwarrin JFC)
Brooke Smith (Beleura JFC)
Mikayla Williamson (Pines JFC)
Georgia Malkoun (Beaconsfield JFC)
Grace Chapman (Balnarring JFC)
Olivia Robinson (Beleura JFC)
Jemma Taylor (Mt Martha JFC)
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