After a taxing end to the A-League Women's season in which the Newcastle Jets battled a congested schedule, it would have been understandable if Cassidy Davis wanted a break.
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But the Newcastle Jets captain was keen to jump straight into a season of National Premier Leagues Women Northern NSW with Warners Bay.
The 27-year-old, who holds the A-League record for the most consecutive games played of 111 appearances in a row, is one of several Jets returning to the local competition after playing in NPLW NSW.
Football Australia regulations, however, state professional players must have a 30-day grace period before taking the field in an amateur competition.
The Jets finished their season on March 7, meaning Davis will finally be eligible to play for the Panthers on Saturday night when they host defending premiers Broadmeadow in a highly anticipated clash at John Street Oval.
"It's been nice to have a bit of a break from full-time football, but it's also been a bit of a wait and a frustrating one," Davis said.
"I wanted to play round one. We were all keen to get straight back into it. Although we had a big last four weeks with the Jets, games are always fun so I was keen to play. It's an exciting game to come back and play.
"They're doing well and have some great players and it will be a good test to see how my fitness is and for us as a whole."
Jets teammates Tara Andrews and Lauren Allan have also signed with Warners Bay.
Warners Bay and Magic have made winning starts to their 2022 campaigns. The Panthers beat New Lambton (6-2) then Mid Coast (6-0) while Broadmeadow were winners over Adamstown (5-2) and Charlestown (3-1).
Warners Bay, who also have former national league players Adriana Konjarski and Tara Pender, have been widely tipped to be the team to beat this campaign.
"It's a bit of pressure but that can be a good thing," Davis said.
"Other teams will want to beat us and that's going to make every game harder and I think that's what we need. We need to be pushed and there's a lot of teams and players in the competition who can do that this year, so I'm looking forward to a competitive season."
Davis spent the past two seasons with Manly, where she played centre-back but will be deployed in a midfield role for Warners Bay.
In round-four games on Sunday, Adamstown play Mid Coast, New Lambton meet Olympic and Maitland take on Azzurri.
Points: Warners Bay 6, Maitland 6, Magic 6, Charlestown 6, Adamstown 3, Olympic 0, Mid Coast 0, New Lambton 0.
