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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Next up, Mid Coast.
A young but well-drilled and energetic side, they proved to be the dark horse of the 2020 season. Mid Coast were in the finals race pretty much until the death last year. They even survived a roller-coaster week in which it appeared their season would be over due to coronavirus restrictions on travel only to have their season handed back to them a few days later. They were the side who ended Merewether's unbeaten streak and ultimately prevented United from securing the minor premiership and showed they would be a force to be reckoned with in seasons to come. The biggest issue coach Michael Grass has faced in the off-season is a high turn-over of players.
The Newcastle Herald (NH) went one-on-one with coach Michael Grass (MG) and players Kirrilly "Billie" Hughes (KH) and Lainey Elford (LE) recently and this is what they had to say about the season ahead.
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The coach
NH: How is the squad looking for your 2021 campaign?
MG: We've lost a fair few this year. Last year we kept a few and that kept us in good stead for the season but we've lost probably half our first-grade side this year due to different things. Courtney Anderson is gone. I'm not sure what she's doing. Layni Fens can't commit with placements for university and Jess James has gone to university in Wollongong, so that's basically our front line gone from last year which means you start all over again. Midfielders Emma Shipperlee, due to study, and Nikki Learoyd has moved on to a different sport. The key ones we've kept are our other two midfielders, Evie Bobilak and Chelsea Hall, as well as Xanthe Parsons in goals. I thought she was fantastic for us last year. She probably kept us in a lot of games. We've picked up another midfielder in Kirrilly Hughes. She was a local girl who played for us in lower grades for years, went over to America for a couple of years and played a stint in college football. She's back and she's going to have a run for us and she's in pretty good shape. I'm expecting some good things from her this year. She'll play in the midfield as well. We've got a lot of young players who will have to step up. Jess Watts will play up front and hopefully she'll do a good job for us. Ginger Harrison comes in to centre-back. She's still only 15.
NH: What goals have you set for the group this year?
MG: Our goal is to get on the park to start with. With the weather, it's been hard to gauge how we're travelling. We played a couple of games late January, early February but haven't been able to have a game since then, just because everything's been washed out. So I can't really say at this point where we're travelling as far as games go. I know the hard work has been done as far as conditioning but we've just got to get on the park to see how we're going. We get ourselves into some good physical shape and then see if we can continue to improve throughout the year. We probably won't be as far behind as what we were two seasons ago but we probably won't be as advanced as what we were last year. I'm not going to make any judgement yet, just wait and see until once we get everyone together.
NH: Will a return to a 21-round competition be a benefit?
MG: From an improvement perspective, it definitely helps having a longer season because you can really work towards that improvement. Seasons can also get away from you if you're not performing particularly well. That longer season can start to drag on and your performances can start to go downhill. It's a catch 22. But if you're looking for improvement, it really gives you time to do that. I felt last year if we had 21 rounds we could have ended up in the finals.
The players
NH: What have you taken out of last season and how do you feel the squad is shaping up?
LE: We've done a lot of fitness and the improvement in everyone is amazing. Because of this new fitness training that he's doing with us, Mick thinks we can go further and further every time and he really tries to drive that into everyone and says we're probably the underdogs but we're the ones who come out with fire and teams don't really expect it because everyone is so young. The average age last year was about 15 for our whole senior squad. The fact we went from last the year before, losing by quite a bit to almost into semi-finals was really good for everyone's confidence. What the girls gained from it was amazing to see. I was on the bench every week and the girls just loved it, and had so much fun as well.
KH: I played four years ago and have come back. They're a really young side but they're an awesome bunch of girls and they have a really good bond. It's really fun to be playing with them again. I'm so keen for this season.
NH: Who will be players to watch out for this year?
KH: Tash Ruge in defence, Chelsea Hall and Evie Bobilak.
The stats
Last season: Fifth with 19 points, six adrift of the top four.
Home ground: Taree Zone Field
Key players: With so many losses and such a young side, the return of midfielder Kirrilly Hughes has come at a good time. At 22, she is still young herself but the experience of playing in the United States college system should put her in good stead for a strong campaign. Xanthe Parsons in goals was a stand-out last year and should take plenty of confidence into another season. Courtney Anderson, Jess James and Layni Fens combined for 21 of Mid Coast's 28 goals last campaign and their loss means other are going to have to step up and fill the void with some key performances up front. Don't be surprised to see this side pulling off some upsets and continuing to grow as the years goes on.
First up: They play Charlestown Azzurri at Lisle Carr Oval on Saturday (March 27) at 3.40pm.
Teams to be previewed on Friday will be New Lambton and newcomers Maitland.
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