Edge Hill expected to run away with it
AMAZING depth has Edge Hill roaring into 2018 and they’re embracing the Premier Women’s favouritism after a strong preseason.
Add an extra dash of professionalism with elite coach Angelo Caravella and some top young talent and you can’t blame co-captain Rose Calvert for feeling confident.
“We’ve probably got about 24 on the roster, which helps with the depth in the squad and the junior girls who are old enough now to play seniors are unbelievable,” said Calvert, who will share the leadership duties with Siobhan Macken after the departure of 2017 skipper Tamara Ortiz.
“All these games we’ve been having, we haven’t had our strongest team, so we’re definitely confident.”
Leichhardt coach Mareeta Nicolau said it was easy to see why the Tigers were being talked up as premiership fancies.
But the Lions too are right up there in contention and well on the radar after winning the grand final last year.
“They’ve pretty much run teams off the park in the Chairman’s Cup, so they’re looking really strong and I’d say they’re the benchmark this year,” Nicolau of said of the Tigers, who they will meet in their first match of the season in Round 2.
JCU Strikers have the unenviable task of facing Edge Hill in Round 1 and coach Victor Neckebroeck knows it will be a tough ask.
“I think Edge Hill’s just going to be way too strong looking at their results in the preseason,” he said.
“We’ll put up the best fight we can obviously and our result this weekend will hopefully be an indication of how we’re going to go.”
Neckebroeck’s oldest player is 18, but he sensed an even percentage of youth across the clubs that would soon lift standards around the region.
“I think it will be a good year for women’s football in terms of what direction it’s heading ... with younger players coming into the game and hopefully staying in the game over the next few years and making the Premier Women’s competition a lot stronger,” he said.