ROOSTERS RELISHING NEW SEASON

By KEL ROWE

After finishing an interrupted 2021 as minor premiers, and then mounting a strong recruitment campaign in the off-season to recoup player numbers, the women at West Footscray have been relishing the opportunity to crack into a fresh year of footy.

New faces and new team dynamics have made for a great foundation of fun down at Shorten Reserve, with the new batch of Roosters taking no time at all to get into the groove on the training track. This has led to a solid start to the season — a pleasing result for Shane Windridge, the Senior Women’s coach.

“We headed into this season with no real expectations, having 20 new players, most who had never played footy before. So, to be 8-1, it has been a good surprise,” he said.

“The team has really come together and formed a strong bond, on and off the ground.

“The new players have brought great energy — their desire to improve and enjoyment of the footy culture, under the guidance of our more experienced players, has made the season so far really enjoyable.”

Like most clubs across the competition, West Footscray has had to navigate the challenges that the pandemic continues to present, with illness and injury a constant threat to team availability each week.

Despite that, the team have been able to play out each round, and mark important occasions, such as their memorial game for inaugural manager Jan Hindson, and the first ever Pride match against North Sunshine.

This week, West Footscray is set to go head-to-head with Point Cook in the Victoria University Polytechnic Senior Women’s Division 2 competition, under lights tonight.

“We head into this week having had two weeks off and a bit of illness through the team, so it will be good to get back out there playing.” Windridge said.

“We want to keep building on what we have been working on, keep improving, and look forward to the excitement of a finals series after a couple of seasons without.”

West Footscray take on Point Cook at 7:30pm at Saltwater Reserve.