THE NEWCASTLE HERALD
By Josh Leeson
NEWCASTLE Jets women's coach Gary Phillips is confident he can build a team that will prove competitive in the first season of the W-League.
The new professional women's league was launched yesterday in Sydney with all seven Australian A-League clubs involved, plus Canberra United.
The 10-round competition, plus finals, kicks off in October. Training is expected to begin in early September.
The Jets will play out of Wanderers Oval at Broadmeadow, and a free-to-air television deal for the league is being negotiated.
Top priority for the Jets will be home-grown Matildas Cheryl Salisbury, Katie Gill, Joanne Peters and Amber Neilson.
Salisbury is likely to be the Jets' captain and assistant coach.
"Hopefully we can get her [Salisbury] fit and on the park," Phillips said.
"Obviously she's at an age now that we need to manage her very wisely."
Gill is playing in Sweden on a short-term deal, and Phillips hoped she might be able to bring along some of her Scandinavian teammates to play with the Jets.
"We hope to lure a marquee player of some type, but we might be a couple of positions short when it comes to kick-off day," he said.
"We've got a couple of Matildas around, but we still lack experience in key areas.
"The Jets have a profile now and we want to maintain that, whichever gender."
Neilson and Peters are likely to play in middle of the park, along with exciting under-20 Australian prospect Emily van Egmond.
"[With] those three players [Peters, Neilson and van Egmond] in the middle, Salisbury at the back and Gill up front, we have a good basis there," Phillips said yesterday.
Article source http://theherald.yourguide.com.au/news/local/sport/afl/newcastle-women-set-for-takeoff/1228621.aspx
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment