Tara Murray
Keilor is getting back to what football is about in the Essendon District Football League women’s premier division this season.
The Blues finished fourth last season, the lowest their top side has ever finished, with a bit of a changing of the guard.
While there’s been a few changes in the off season. Blues are still hoping to be in the mix come the pointy end of the season.
For coach Brooke Surgeon, the biggest thing for her this season was about everyone having fun.
“It’s been a really good off season and the group has bonded so well,” she said. “We’re looking froward to a really good season.
“I think we have really clicks these season and we’ll be looking to hit a few different marks.
“We want to be aiming for a flag, but we want to have fun and not forget why we want to play.”
The Blues have lost a few experienced players and Surgeon said it would be an opportunity for others to step up.
She said with a strong under-18 program there was plenty of talent coming through..
“There’s a few who have come up from under-18s and there’s plenty of young talent,” she said.
“They’ll get some more opportunities. There’s some older players that have come along in the pre-season and play in key positions across the board.”
Maddy Reynolds is one of the younger players that Surgeon was keen to see in the senior side, while former Victorian Football League player Simone Craige is another Surgeon is keen to see.
Surgeon and Craige played all their junior football together and Craige comes back to the game after some time away from the game.
The Blues kicked off their season on Saturday against Hillside.
It was a tough start for the Blues, with the Sharks having a big win.
With most teams recruiting well in the off season, Surgeon thinks it will be a close season.
“Oak Park and Aberfeldie are always going to be top sides,” she said.
“We’ll always be in the mix. We want to focus on home ground talent and we’ve put a lot of focus in our junior program and it’s looking really good.”
