As we count down until the start of the 13th instalment of the Herald Women's Premier League, we are bringing our readers an in-depth look into how the eight teams are shaping up.
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Today, it is newcomers Charlestown Azzurri.
Azzurri have taken over Merewether's WPL licence. Merewether were a foundation club in Herald WPL and have been arguably the most successful club of Northern NSW Football women's top-flight competition. They were the first club to pull off the premiership-championship double in 2015. They also won the 2017 and 2018 grand finals to complete a never-been-done-before trio of championship crowns. It was a period in which they featured in four of five grand finals.
Will the success follow them to their new home of Lisle Carr Oval?
The Newcastle Herald (NH) went one-on-one with coach Michael Lee (ML) and senior players Lori Depczynski (LD) and Nicki Jones (NJ) recently and this is what they had to say about the season ahead.
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The coach
NH: What can you tell us about the squad for this year?
ML: We've picked up three players who have played with us before. (Defender) Carolina Cacic (Adamstown), (midfielder) Imogen Tusek (Olympic) and we've also picked up Ashleigh Gavin, who hasn't played for a while, not that you can tell. She can play anywhere and will be handy. Jess Gentle is another one. She plays in the midfield and played for University of Wyoming (in the United States college system). She is a real powerhouse. Really fit. She plays rugby sevens and is tough and really quick. She's a winger and is very handy. She's scored in all of our trial games and will cause a bit of damage. The losses are Jamee Ellis, Katy Gray, Ellie Butler, Alison Logue, Rhali Dobson. We've retained Lori Depczynski, Nicki Jones, Tamara Nash and Ellie Withers, who you can put anywhere. And we've got some younger ones who I have a lot of confidence in - Shani Vazey, Monique Collin, Freya Clifton and Bella Ramzan-Levy. Those four younger ones have been going really well. If we get the 13 or 14 on the field each week we're looking good. We've got two new goalkeepers. One is Mia McLachlan. She's only 15 but she's going pretty good. We're probably a bit skinny if anywhere up front. Lori will be the main attacking weapon and Freya has been playing next to her and playing really well.
NH: What goals have you set for the group?
ML: I'm hoping that we'll make the semi-finals. That's the plan. We've done alright so far and we've got everywhere covered. But it's mainly keeping 14 fit girls.
NH: Is it true we'll see Nicki Jones playing a more advanced role this season?
ML: Yes, Nicki will have an attacking role. I moved her into midfield and she'll be a right-sided midfielder. I watched a game last year when she was moved into midfield and she was the best player on the field.
The players
NH: How are you feeling about the move to Charlestown Azzurri?
LD: All of the teams are pretty excited to do the merger with Charlestown and Charlestown are excited to have us on board as well.
NJ: Our supporter base will increase and our club culture will become stronger. It's two well-established clubs and both have been rather successful in their endeavours, so hopefully that will continue.
NH: You've sustained some big losses in the off-season, how do you think the squad is coming together?
NJ: We have lost some of our big names, some of our big hitters. It's been a gradual process that inevitably happens, but we have picked up other players. Numbers are strong and I think our attack is even stronger than it has been in the past couple of years. In terms of our strength, we have a lot of speed and a lot of people who can deliver a good ball. Jess Gentle is nice and aggressive going forward and I think that's maybe what we lacked a little bit going forward last year, so she's filled that deficit that we had. The squad is competitive.
NH: Your season last year ended with a 6-2 semi-final loss. Does that still hurt?
LD: We were all pretty devastated and it took a while to get over. We're probably still not over it, but we just had to put that behind us. It's a fresh year, a new beginning and we're not going to take that with us.
NH: As Merewether, you had a lot of success. What will you be aiming for as a new-look squad in Charlestown colours?
NJ: I think naturally with the group of girls that we have, we do have that mentality that we want to finish top four. But I don't think anyone has really said aloud what our goals are yet.
NH: Who will be key players or ones to watch out for this season?
LD: We've picked up a good young keeper in Mia McLachlan.
NJ: Jess Gentle. She was overseas playing college football. And Mia in goals. Al (Logue) has been our solid rock for the past couple of years but in the trial games, Mia has impressed. She's fast on her feet and good with her hands. Tamara Nash is another one. She's a bit unseen but she's a workhorse and offers a lot in defence and attack. She's relentless and reliable.
The stats
Last season: As Merewether, finished third with 30 points then lost the semi-final 6-2 to Warners Bay
Home ground: Lisle Carr Oval
Key players: The move back into a more natural attacking role for senior player Nicki Jones, who has W-League experience, is an exciting one. Lori Depczynski transitioned from defence into attack in her return season to Herald WPL last year and scored 12 goals in 15 outings to be Merewether's leading scorer. Tamara Nash chimed in with seven and continues to state her credentials as an unsung hero of the league. The squad looks to have a nice blend of youth and experience with a host of rising talent coming through the ranks and ready to state their cases for first-grade spots. The return of midfielder Imogen Tusek is a bonus. Not only is she a quality player, she has also played in every championship side for the past three years. Coincidence or lucky charm?
First-up: Azzurri host Mid Coast at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday (March 27) at 3.40pm.
Teams to be previewed on Thursday will be young guns Mid Coast and Adamstown.
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