IN a weekly series at Rookie Me Central, we cast our eyes and ears around the league to gather thoughts from AFL Women’s coaches, and see what they had to say post their respective matches on the weekend.

This week it’s over to Sydney for the local derby, as we hear from Sydney coach Scott Gowans and GWS coach Cam Bernasconi.

The victorious Bernasconi was proud of his group after a trying few weeks.

“It’s been a huge week, just with losing three players to season ending injuries, going 0-2,” he said. “Within the four walls the pressure does build a bit. I’m just so proud of the girls that we stuck to our game plan and we had some really good messages from the AFL boys around rivalry, lots of different motivational things.

“The thing I love the most was that the girls just had belief in the way we want to play our footy and if we can do it for four quarters you know you get to sing the song so I’m just absolutely rapped with how the girls played today.”

Bernasconi was full of praise for the three additions to the side on the weekend Nicola Barr, Meghan Gaffney and Zarlie Goldsworthy.

“The girls who came in today were just super. I love Barrsy’s leadership just during the week and then coming in and having an immediate impact and kicking a couple of goals and I think Meghan and Zarlie just looked at the level, and I love playing debutants because they just bring energy and I thought both of them had outstanding games.”

Once he found out the Giants had in fact kicked their highest-ever score last weekend, Bernasconi was ecstatic.

“That’s awesome,” he said. “We’ve been quite vocal of the fact that we’ve got a new game plan and we’re really trying to score more and just have some more fun playing footy, and the first two weeks you get Lions and Bulldogs who are both undefeated, so it’s really hard to try and play that attacking brand of footy.

“I thought in patches we did that but then instead of just going back to old ways we stuck to the new plan and to kick the highest score ever in the club’s history is just awesome. I think the belief is building in the group anyway, but when you add that stat on top of it the proof is in the pudding there isn’t it?”

Meanwhile, Gowans was realistic and admitted that the match was a “tough, tough test” for the Swans, who remain without their first set of AFLW premiership points.

“We spoke before the game of playing our way, and just on a really quick reflection we probably had moments where we controlled the concepts that we’re trying to do this week,” Gowans said. “It is really a step by step process.

“Having said that, when you focus on something so much, other bits fall away and from a coaching perspective I think that’s probably going to be the story of the season and it’s just how quickly we can bring everything together in one game and then play. It was a tough lesson and credit to GWS, I thought they were really good.”

“We try not to focus on the scoreboard. I say this all the time to the girls but it’s tough because they do, that’s footy, and I think as soon as you get that perceived pressure we’ve got to try and get them off focusing on the scoreboard.”

The Giants’ next chance to impress comes in a clash against West Coast at home, while the Swans are set to face Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval in a battle between two of the season’s four expansion sides.