After a week off for the group due to a postponement, I think I can safely say on behalf of all the girls that we’re especially pumped for the weekend’s game against Newcastle Jets.
Preparation this week was a different one with Christmas Day in the mix and that cancelled game against Wellington which was certainly the correct call in the end.
Of course we missed the game against the Phoenix particularly because it was going to be a double-header return to Coopers Stadium, but at the same time we were able to get an internal match played on Christmas Eve and still have Christmas and Boxing Day off with our families.
At training during the week we ran what we call ‘Sneaky Santa’, so all the players and coaches brought a gift to training and we all sweated it out in our best Christmas kit.
Sneaky Santa is our version of Kris Kringle in which you steal people’s presents, so it was a fair bit of fun to watch the gifts people wanted switched around.
We’re pretty much family at this point and it was great to celebrate as a full team, and (Chelsie) Dawber got best dressed in her full elf costume, that’s for sure. We’re all unsure how she trained in that suit all day.
Amongst the festive fun squeezed into some heavy sessions, we’ve been fully focused on the Jets on Saturday, and it will be a tough trip as all of them are in this competition.
There is a bit of an extra leg involved there as well with a bus to Newcastle after we land, but it’s a great opportunity for us to get another three points.
We’re looking quite strong with a couple of players back in the squad including (Yuyi) Xiao, so Stents (Head Coach, Adrian Stenta) will have to make some tough decisions on game day which means our depth is in the right place.
We’ve had a week off, so we know we’ll need to be switched on and ready to go from that first whistle.
The match will also have some extra feeling for Annie (Annalee Grove) who will be returning to her hometown of Newcastle.
We would love to get a win for Annie who is looking forward to playing in front of her family and friends once again and on New Year’s Eve as well, so it would be great to make it a memorable one for them all also.
We’re very driven to head into 2023 with a win and resume the form that has brought us a strong start to the season.
Keep coming along with us on this journey.
