Young guns to fire for champs

A SENSE of normality is returning to the Brothers Football ranks, but with it will be a more youthful energy than in past campaigns.

The defending Townsville Women’s Premier League champions will run out as a young side when the season kicks off on Friday night, with coach Steve Mcnaughton saying only “three or four” from their 2019 triumph were still on deck.

Among the rest of the group are a scattering of 15-year-old talents and goalkeeper Layne Chapman, who, at just 14, required special permission to make the premier league jump.

Despite her age Mcnaughton is confident he has the No. 1 to get the job done — backed by an unrivalled determination that went beyond her experience on the field.

With the announcement Australia will co-host the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the Brothers mentor said the rest of his young brigade would develop even further as a result.

“You can’t be what you can’t see, and if you’re seeing that sort of stuff in your backyard that surely drives the passion to be a little better and strive for excellence,” Mcnaughton said.

“She (Chapman) is up and coming, I think being 14 as well she will be one to watch through the next few years.

“Give her three more years and playing at this level she’ll be one that will be one of the more seasoned goalkeepers — just her technique and desire in front of the sticks is fantastic.”

Chapman’s first test will be a Wulguru United outfit brimming with youngsters of their own eager to make a statement in the premier league.

After several of their younger players impressed in the reserve grade competition last year, Mcnaughton said many had made the jump to the top level and would be “a force to be reckoned with” in 2020.

The teams have only just been able to return to contact training amid the changing coronavirus guidelines enforced by the Queensland Government, and the championship-winning coach said this may lead to some rusty play in the season’s opening exchanges.

While the return to play and contact may be seemingly rushed to ensure players are well prepared, Mcnaughton said the competition would be on a level playing field — which would only mean good things for the competition as a whole.

He called on the referees to take that into consideration when making tough rulings throughout each contest.

“You’re damned if you do damned if you don’t, but we’re all keen to get going – the players don’t even think about that until you’re on the park and there’s an injury,” he said. “Talking to other coaches at other clubs across the board I think it’ll be fairly even – we’re not going to have that separation from the top and bottom four that we had in previous years.”

Brothers and Wulguru meet at Wulguru Park (6.30pm).