Brothers into finals after Benton magic
ONCE the whistle for the second half sounds, something sparks in Emily Benton her coach can’t quite figure out.
Sure, her opening stanzas are strong, as exemplified in Saturday’s Kappa Cup quarter-final, but what she produces after the break has Brothers on a collision course with history.
Benton was electric in her side’s 5-0 triumph over Gladstone Centrals, helping herself to a hat-trick has the blue and whites launched themselves into the final four of the inaugural competition.
A date with NPL powerhouse Lions FC now awaits
them, but Brothers coach Steve Mcnaughton believes his team has the skills and humility to overcome any obstacle.
And he said Benton’s ability to create something out of nothing could be the x-factor that takes it all the way.
“Funnily enough, she plays reasonably well in the first half, then it’s almost like she’s just warming up and the second half she just dominates,” Mcnaughton said.
“As a coach you’re sitting there thinking you would love it 90 minutes but there’s just another level she goes into.
“One of her goals was from distance, where she saw the keeper off the line from about
25 metres out in put it in the back hand corner. Another one was an absolute cracker of a header from a corner. She’s not the biggest player but she timed it perfectly.
“It’s awareness from the individual.”
While Benton’s brilliance stood out, Mcnaughton said everything clinical about their play was instigated by his entire midfield.
Inspired by a typically physical and fearless performance from skipper Lara Seeger, Brothers were constantly on the front foot and sent an ominous warning to their forthcoming semifinal rivals.
Mcnaughton has felt an
eager energy around women’s football in Townsville ever since the Kappa Cup was announced.
Players have come out of lay-offs from the game to become involved, and now the mentor has called for a national concept to be introduced.
Mcnaughton paid tribute to the men’s Edge Hill United outfit from Cairns, which has thrust the region into the football spotlight with a run to the FFA Cup’s final 32.
And he believed a similar tournament in the women’s format, as opposed to restricted to the states, could put them on the map in a similar fashion.
“In the format of something like the success of the FFA Cup for the men, I’d love to see something like that happen,” Mcnaughton said.
“How good would that be? Making it similar to what Edge Hill have done for the men making it to that stage.
“We’ll be playing Lions FC, who are a National Premier League team. That’s two levels above us at least … you think of it like where do the Matildas go when they’re not playing for their country.
“The standard is there. We’ve hopefully got a bit of time to work on some stuff. You can only put your best foot forward and see what happens.”