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I was on the Committee in 2015 when we discussed introducing a Bombers Women’s program. It was something I was immediately attracted to, so I put my hand up to help set it up. Giving women the opportunity to play the game, build the type of camaraderie that comes with contact sport and share in the culture of a footy club was a huge attraction for me.
We flirted with the idea of launching for the 2016 season but we were keen to build the best program in Sydney AFL so we targeted the 2017 season to make sure we were set up for success.
While our launch in late 2016 was a big success it was tough recruiting players through the preseason. My wife tells a story of me coming home from training in February 2017 very upset as numbers weren’t looking good. The AFLW then started and our numbers took off. From memory we had over 40 down to training the Thursday before our first game.
We had a big win in our first game and the program has continued to develop into what we believe is the best in Sydney AFL, though we are always looking to improve.
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Season 1 was a blast, at least in hindsight. Honestly everything after actually fielding a team for Round 1 felt like a bit of a bonus. There are lots of fond memories. Taking training sessions of over 40 players who had never played a game and being the only coach stick in the mind. On field coming from behind in the last quarter of the last game of the season to make the finals was huge (Goodey said the girls celebrated more than some Premiership teams he had seen!).
But the stand out memory is off field. The way the club embraced the women and the way the women added to the club. It was awesome, and still is. The off field transformation of the club was huge and all in all much for the better.
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Not sure I’d call them ‘old girls’, at least not to their faces – they make you pay on the tackle bags. It is great to see players develop and work hard to progress. I’m proud of every woman who plays for North Shore. I know alot of them haven’t grown up playing footy and it has been a leap of faith for them to come to a new club and try a new sport. Watching women getting the thrill of playing footy, regardless of the division, is a big deal for me.
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There are plenty of players who have come down to training and we had to work hard to get them on the field as they weren’t too sure if footy was for them. Seeing their faces as they come off the ground after their first game is always very satisfying and feels like success. I’m guessing that isn’t quite what the question is asking but it trumps the ‘who’. At the end of the day I think the club’s biggest success is being able to provide opportunities for players of all abilities and interest levels and I think it is something we can all be very proud of.
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The club has always looked to develop links with the junior clubs in our region, both on the mens and women’s side. So while the role itself may be new the responsibilities underpinning it have always been in place. Highly visible and effective pathways between junior and senior clubs are a key element in retaining players and volunteers in the sport and helping to develop younger players, by giving them opportunities to play and train with more experienced players where that is appropriate. Creating the role will hopefully help to achieve this and make the game in our region stronger for it.I’m really excited to work alongside Steve Netting (Head of Men’s Pathways) in the role. Netto has been instrumental in building the Willoughby Wildcats into one of the strongest junior clubs in NSW and the work he has already done on developing pathways in the last 12 months is phenomenal – if I’m lucky I will be able to ride on his coattails a little.
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Making the juniors feel welcome, wanted and ready for seniors. Some of the ways we can achieve this is by inviting juniors to train with us and join us in the rooms on game day, be visible at their clubs and training sessions, ensure we communicate well with the players, their parents and club.
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Establishing connections with all Youth Girls teams in our pathway (this includes clubs and schools) and agreeing how we can support them and their players. This is already in place with some of our pathway clubs and the main priority is to execute to support them.
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Yes. I wouldn’t want to name them and put them under pressure but there are a number of State and Academy players across our pathway clubs who I’m sure will follow in the footsteps of other pathway juniors like McLeay, Steel, Hurrell, Green, Fyffe, Barr, Clegg, Bird to name only a few. Watch this space.
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We have had this exact scenario play out over 100 times at North Shore so far. The message has always been to come and try out the sport and the club, there is no obligation to stay or play. I would also let them know that we invest the time in teaching them the basic skills, understanding the game and making them feel welcome at the club.
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Yes. I’m really excited to see Joel coming on board as a Head Coach after helping out for a number of seasons. He brings a wealth of footy knowledge to the role and I know that the players will respond positively to his style of coaching.
My advice to Joel would be to ignore any of my advice. Seriously though the biggest learning I have had in coaching women is to provide very clear and unambiguous instructions. On the whole I have found the players to be very good at listening and trying to implement instructions to the letter. This can be a double edged sword though, if you get your words slightly wrong all hell can break loose.
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This is a tough one. Logic would say the Premier Division side as the other divisions are less balanced (e.g. in Div 2 our 3rds come across other club’s top sides). But having said that Div 1 in 2020 probably came closest and there are plenty of examples in our Men’s program of winning in lower Divisions. The smart money is on the Griffiths led Div 1 2022 side though.
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This hasn’t changed since the start of the AFLW. Erin Phillips. I love her skills and physicality. To think what she would have been capable of if she had been able to play in her 20s is mind blowing.
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