Saints primed for historic finals
Horsham Saints will look to write their name into the history books when they meet Hamilton in the inaugural Deakin University Female Football League grand final on Sunday.
Coach Matt Taylor said his charges were primed for the decider against the competition’s minor premier.
“We have the best side at our disposal that we’ve had all year,” he said.
“To get that type of side for the grand final, with everyone available, is like winning the lottery.
“We are quite strong across all lines, particularly in the midfield, where we have lots of options for rotations.”
Taylor said Greater Western Victoria Rebel and Vic Country under-18 representative Rene Caris was available for the clash and would look to give her side first use of the ball from the ruck.
The team will also look to Coco Ledgar and Tara Jasper to lead the way.
“Coco won’t like me saying it, but she would be in the top three or four players in the league,” Taylor said.
“She and Tara have been the standouts all season.
“We’re also fortunate to have Aily and Jordie Mcauliffe, who are new to the club this year, and have a lot of experience in team sports including netball and basketball.
“The stage is set for our leaders to step up and show the way.”
Both the Saints and Kangaroos claimed six wins from seven games throughout the season.
Hamilton finished on top of the home-and-away ladder on percentage.
The sides first met in a practice match before the season started and went head-to-head in round five earlier this month.
“We beat them pretty easily in the practice match, but as I told the girls, that means nothing,” Taylor said.
“We were both pretty green then. Our match a few weeks ago was a very close game. We lost by five points in a low-scoring game.
“I’m expecting another close one on Sunday.”
Taylor said his charges were up and about at training on Monday night.
“Our focus this week is to make plenty of noise,” he said.
“I want them to be loud and positive the whole time. If something doesn’t go our way I want them to shake it off and keep going.
“The girls won the game they need- ed to win to make the grand final, so more than anything, Sunday is a celebration of how far we have come from our first training session back in March with seven or eight girls.
“Every couple of weeks we picked up new players to create the team we have today, and now we’re in the grand final.”