Defensive duo back to help lift Comets
CELENE Cuzzubbo and Kristen Forrester-Bidgood are back in purple and white and ready to drive Southside Comets back to FNQ Women’s Premier League success.
The duo are set to form part of the Comets’ defensive unit when the new competition kicks off, and after a few years out of the competition Southside are ready to make up for lost time.
A number of players from the 2016 premiership team have returned, while the next generation of young Comets are ready to rip in.
For Forrester-Bidgood, it’s a happy return to the field after a three-year hiatus from playing the game she loves.
She has desired a return for some time, but a change to her work meant she could jump right back in the deep end.
“It’s been really good to get back and having the ball at my feet, and hanging out with some of the girls,” ForresterBidgood said.
“My work has changed a lot, enabling me to have that time on weekends and afternoons.
“I’ve been wanting to get back but work was a bit of a challenge.”
Cuzzubbo has had a fouryear absence from the league while she completed university, but with that qualification earned she’s relished the opportunity to get into the game.
She said she was driven to help push the women’s competition to a high standard.
“It’s a good time for women’s sport to get started again. I feel like it’s died down again but it’ll be good to get the comp back up to the level it used to be at,” she said.
“It’s been good getting behind the ball again. For a couple of us it’s been a while.
Southside head of female football Nathan Paull will coach the Comets team.
He said the response had been strong so far, though the club was looking for more women keen to strap on the boots for a run.
“The idea of the off-season training was to get those numbers in,” Paull said.
“We started seeing some good numbers, especially the past few weeks. We’ve had about nine or 10 showing up regularly so it’s looking good.
“We’re looking to add some depth with a mixture of youth players (from reserve grade) and experienced players.”
Forrester-Bidgood is also part of the Far North Queensland Football Centre of Excellence coaching set-up, along with Paull, and said that involvement would help in her playing role.
“There’s a few kids who come along to the COE days who are signing up now,” Forrester-Bidgood said.
“It’s nice to be training and them seeing me train during the week, just having that involvement and getting to be that role model as well.
“Showing them the older kids like to play too.”
The competition is expected to kick off on March 28, though a draw is not yet publicly available.