ALWAYS known for its staunch defensive efforts, Sturt is ready to apply its own pressure up the other end. New Double Blues coach Michael O’Connor said his side had produced a couple of impressive preseason trial performances, but now needed to step up for premiership points.

“I guess traditionally we haven’t started seasons very well in the past, so it’s really important for the girls to continue the momentum we’ve built,” O’Connor said. “We’ve had a couple of good, positive trial games, but like everything, preseason counts for nothing until we start playing the real season. “We’ve put ourselves in a position where we think we’re in a good position, but now we’ve got a light week on the track and get ourselves ready for Round 1.”

FINALS AMBITIONS

The Double Blues are the oldest side in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL) Women’s competition yet to make the finals series, but with the list experienced – despite still being incredibly young – O’Connor hopes this is they year Sturt can break that drought.

“Going back to their inception, they went down the path of a young squad and if you look at the list currently, it still is the same,” O’Connor said. “Even if the likes of Maya Rigter and Hannah Prenzler have been through the system for four or five years, they’re still very early on in their careers, so we do certainly expect having that core group that have played two, three, four years of footy together, that we can piece that together.

“We’ve taken big strides in terms of the processes and getting better each year, but we haven’t been able to put that on the board in terms of wins and losses. “Certainly excited that this year is hopefully the one we start putting wins on the board. The goal is to challenge for finals, being one of the sides that hasn’t made finals yet.”

PRESEASON PERFORMERS

Sturt has played a couple of trial games against Norwood and South Adelaide, and impressed across both. For O’Connor, it has been about balancing the fresh faces with the experienced campaigners within the squad. Though with 36 of their 54-player squad born in the 21st Century, even Sturt’s most experienced talents are closer to 20 than 30.

In terms of some of the new faces to watch, O’Connor said Under 16s talent India Rasheed was one to keep an eye on as an impressive forward, whilst basketball convert Alex Pearce would look to fill the giant shoes left by departing rucks Jess Good and Zoe Prowse who were both drafted into the AFL Women’s competition.

“India Rasheed has been pretty solid through preseason in terms of her running capacity as well as her skillset,” O’Connor said. “She’s through the Under 16s program, and obviously working in the State Hub 16s program as well. 

“Being able to bring in Alex Pearce who’s a basketballer, so new to the system. Then there’s Amy Brooks-Birve who’s obviously played with us a few years, to cover those tall spots, has been pretty important.

“Obviously height doesn’t grow on trees, and it’s really important to have a ruckman in the side to break even or control the midfield. “Those two have put in a lot of work in the preseason and looking forward to continually running out and setting the tone in the midfield for us.”

TEAM STYLE

In recent seasons, particularly in 2021, Sturt became renowned for being a difficult team to score against. With a relentless balance of accountable, and offensive defenders, the Double Blues were able to put a stranglehold on opposition teams. The only problem was getting the score on the board up the other end, which did improve in the second half of the season, but O’Connor wants to make it a consistent feature of the Double Blues’ game.

“I think obviously we want to hold that defensive structure in terms of limiting teams ability to score against us,” O’Connor said. “But certainly the progression going forward is to convert our opportunities going forward. “We know the League itself continues to get better, so what previously was four goals might win you a game of footy. “It seems going down to 16-a-side as well, so five-on-five in the forward end will free the game up a little bit, so I think the scores this year in particular will be higher again.”

O’Connor believed the Double Blues scoring woes in previous years were more about maximising their opportunities rather than needing to generate them.

“The last year I think it was five games by under a goal we lost,” he said. “We generated enough inside 50s, we just weren’t able to convert and put a winning score on the board. “Certainly for us, if we can put more scoreboard pressure on, that will go a long way to put some more wins on the board.”

GEORGIA BEVAN AND ANGELA FOLEY RETURNING

Former co-captain Georgia Bevan and ex-Crows talent Angela Foley have also made their way into the Double Blues for the 2022 season. Bevan was coming of her second chance at the top level with Gold Coast – and a stint with Hawthorn’s VFL Women’s side under ex-Crows coach Bec Goddard – and heads back to her roots in the Double Blue colours. Foley was chosen through the SANFL Women’s Mini-Draft, and though she is returning from injury, will have an impact in the second half of the season.

“Having those type of leaders around the place, even though we’ve got our leadership group which is still very young, having some players come back through the system,” O’Connor said. “Georgia has gone twice through the AFL system through twice with the Crows and then Gold Coast last year.

“But it just puts another piece in the puzzle where we have some real consistent players. Obviously Ange Foley coming back from injury will hopefully be joining us later in the season,. Then we’ve got the option of Zoe Prowse if she doesn’t lineup for the Crows she can roll back and we’ll certainly give her a game.”

PRESEASON LIST HEALTH

Having battled through some frustrating injuries last year, captain Rigter and State Academy talent Tiah Hough successfully got through the trial game on the weekend and are looking ready to go. O’Connor said the list as a whole was looking fit, but conceded with the “danger word” (Covid) around, it was always a day-by-day proposition.

“From the rehabilitation side of things, Maya played in the trial game on the weekend, got through and pulled up really well afterwards. In terms of her we don’t see being as out, we see her as being in the side, and touch wood, she can continue a run of good health. It’s been an interesting run of a couple of years.

“Tiah’s in the same boat, she played a half of footy on the weekend, and again pulled up well apart from the good old general soreness from your first proper hitout, but the rehabilitation side, our rehab group and our medical team has done a fantastic job getting our girls right”

O’Connor praised his medical team and coaching staff, declaring they had done a “first class job” in preparing the players for Round 1.

DEVELOPMENT LEAGUE & 16-A-SIDE

Like all the teams, Sturt is excited about the prospect of a Development League in 2022. With an abundance of youth coming through the program, O’Connor said it was a terrific chance for non-selected players to stake their claim for a League game.

“It’s a great opportunity for all the clubs to ensure that the girls that don’t make the League side have somewhere to play and the bonus of that is they’re playing the team structure and team brand of footy,” he said.

“It’s really important for the coaching staff and form is good form, so it gives us the flexibility that if players are playing really well in the development league we can bring them up with great confidence they can do their job in the league side. “I think it’s a great addition and it’s a tip of the hat to the SANFL for the growth in women’s footy in South Australia.”

Of the 16-a-side change, O’Connor said dropping two less numbers from the field would ease congestion and ultimately lead to higher scoring. From a neutral perspective, the Sturt coach said fans should embrace the rule due to the higher scoring, but he conceded it made life more difficult for defenders.

“For us five on five you look on it on the forward side and it’s nice because there’s a bit more space and hopefully some more goals and put some scoreboard pressure on,” O’Connor said. “But the flip side is defensively our defenders are going to have to work pretty hard to shut opposition teams down.”

SURPRISE PACKETS

Heading into Round 1, Sturt has plenty of players to keep an eye out for, with Kiera Mueller – who built up some ripping form towards the backend of last season – and versatile Alex Ballard joining Rasheed, Pearce and Prenzler as some names to watch, but they were not the only ones.

“(I’m) really looking forward to having a few girls across all lines, as I said with the likes of Kiera Mueller, and Hannah Prenzler and Alex Ballard,” O’Connor said. “They’ve been around and people know them, but we’ve got a couple of girls on the outside may not be known, but certainly by the halfway through the season and end of year, they’ll certainly stamp their authority on their side.”