OFFENCE and scoring is the main target for a hungry Woodville-West Torrens outfit keen to shake the moniker of being the only side without a SANFL Women’s finals record. Senior coach Narelle Smith spoke about the group’s determination to improve on not only last season, but the club’s history in the competition.

“We think we’ve got a team that can play finals and we can’t shy away from that, that’s why you play this game is to make finals, so a top four position would be a successful season for us,” Smith said. “If it doesn’t fall that way, you have a look at where you finish on the ladder, and it’s really critical that you don’t finish in the same position that we have for our history.”

Smith said the Eagles’ average age is just 18.7 and the club would focus on internally improving, with a particular focus on offence.

“We’re just looking for continuity and consistency,” Smith said. “We were really pleased with how we went against North (in the first League trial). “They threw a few things at us structurally and we were able to show a good level of maturity and really adjust mid-game and get on top and we kicked four last quarter goals which is something that we really want to strive to do, kick minimum two a quarter.”

The Eagles are the only side yet to play finals, and finished seventh on the ladder last season with a 4-10 record. However with a number of tight losses by single digits including against Glenelg (one point), Central District (two), Norwood (five) and Sturt (seven), Smith conceded that the key to cracking into finals for the playing group was “all above the shoulders”.

“We’ve certainly got the cattle and we’ve got the systems and the programs running well in a high performance sense,” Smith said. “It’s just that finishing where there was probably four games where we could have put teams to the sword and we weren’t able to do that and in a 14-game comp, you win four games like that … and you’re playing finals.

“We think we’ve worked really hard on mindset, what it takes to be a winning team and then brought in that bucketload of talent to finish off in our front half.”

Over the off-season, Smith noted that club had brought in a new high performance coach to give a different look to preseason.

“He’s made a real difference with a bit of a different style of training which has been great for us,” she said. “All the girls are looking fit and ready to go.”

Woodville-West Torrens has brought up 17 players from the Under 17s female talent pathway, with local young guns having always heavily been a part of the club’s vision. Top talents Shineah Goody and Grace Martin – drafted by Port Adelaide and GWS Giants respectively – are evidence of the successful youth focus at the club.

Of Martin getting drafted, Smith said she would have loved her utility to remain in South Australia, but is expecting big things from the teenager across the other side of the country.

“Really proud of her getting drafted and ideally would have liked her to stay home so we could support her a bit more through her journey, but obviously we’re only a phone call away and I think she’ll do great things at GWS,” she said.

NARELLE SMITH ON…

TOP-AGE STATE ACADEMY MEMBERS

Imogen Trengove

“Immy’s an absolute offensive machine. We’re trying to layer that with some defensive play and I think it’s probably a trend that is linked to our club is that we’re not afraid to play youth and we’re also not afraid to spin them around in different positions. If I look at Grace and Goody before they were drafted, they both played wing, mid, back, forward so they can experience all these different positions and the nuances that go with that and then it prepares them well if they’re lucky enough to be drafted.”

Mia Smith

“I describe her as just such a talented, natural front and centre, small forward. She just hasn’t put a foot wrong since she stepped into the program. She’s 17 turning 18 in a couple of months and it’s really been the first time we’ve had a look at her. She kicked 3.2 [in Round 1 of the Development League], probably should have kicked 4.1, so for a small forward that’s a day out in any comp.”

OTHER YOUNG GUNS

“Maia Freemantle is just a readymade footballer. We’ll probably manage her quite similar as I do for the ones that we think will be drafted so she’ll get thrown around and play some different positions. Ruby Lynch‘s name has been bandied around a lot. She stands at about 181cm and she’s really agile and we’ll work closely with her and working on ruck craft with Leah Cutting and then some forward work as well.”