Broadbeach plan a return to the peak
IT’S been a long off-season for Broadbeach United.
Once the darlings of Gold Coast football, winning the Premier League and grand final in 2018, Broadbeach couldn’t assert the same dominance in the more challenging Brisbane Women’s Premier League and finished ninth in their debut season.
Boasting a swag of recruits and a renewed confidence, United captain Gemma Hicks said this year should bode very differently for the Dolphins.
“Last year was a bit of a shock to the system,” she said.
“It was a bit of a let-down but we’re not too fussed and we’re keen to improve.
“We’ve matured as individuals and as a team. We’re a lot more bonded this year than we were last year.”
Hicks believes her side’s impressive pre-season performance against competition heavyweights the University of Queensland, which saw them draw after regular time but lose on penalties, is an indication of just how much Broadbeach have
matured for season 2020. “After that, I said to ‘Noods’ (coach Sarah Evans) ‘we’re good, we’re solid this year, we’ve got a hunger in our gut this year,’” she said.
“If UQ’s the game we go off, we’re going to go out pretty hard.”
In a similar boat to Broadbeach is Robina who finished seventh overall last season.
Rabbits striker Shelby White said the entire team is looking forward to another season of consolidation.
“We only had one preseason game so everyone is keen to get out there,” she said. “Every time I go run out on to the field I get very nervous and excited and have a fast five minutes which I need to learn to control.”
Coomera have been drawn the bye in Round 1, much to the relief of Lisa Gregson who followed her husband and Colts coach Trent from Southport in the off-season.
While she admits it’s “weird looking down and not seeing green” after 12 years with the Warriors, she’s excited for the new challenge.
“It was a difficult process to begin with but we played a few pre-season games and realised we’re all here for the same purpose and started to click,” the 30-year-old said.
Tomorrow’s fixtures: Broadbeach v The Lakes (3pm at Nikiforides Family Park). Ipswich City v Robina City (3pm at Sutton Park).