Successful Swans coach refuses to restrict players’ flair
THEY have notched more than 300 points in five games and Curra Swans coach Meg Greenland said there are no plans to slow down.
The Swans remain undefeated after the first round of the competition.
Their attacking style could cause headaches for the coach too, but so far she has been impressed by the off the cuff style.
Greenland refuses to shackle the ingenuity of her front line and the free-flowing style is paying big dividends.
“We have a lot of crafty small forwards, they bring a lot of their own creativity and originality to the game,” she said.
“We encourage them to be inventive in the way they play and try different things. As coaches, we don’t create set plays, we encourage them to play what they see and read the game.
“We don’t enforce coach-led play, it is all player led. They play sensibly and they play with each other, it is not a one-man show.”
The Swans have proven that in the goalscorers column this season.
While forward Stephanie Simmonds might lead the competition with 13 goals already this season, teammate Amaliya Davies-scherer is not far behind with nine.
Greenland said the cohesion between the players had been crucial in their perfect start to the season, and would again be key as they prepare for a plucky Suns outfit in Burdell today.
“(The players) on-field leadership and cohesion is the biggest player this year,” she said. “You can tell they play for one another and they understand what it means to be a Swan.
“It is created by the leadership group as well as our co-captaincy. We have lots of different leaders with lots of different points of views coming through.
“I know sometimes it doesn’t work with too many voices, but I believe we have the right mix.
“The players need to keep their heads. When we came out against the Suns in the first round, we were taken a bit by surprise by their fitness and ability on the ball.
“They come out to play footy and we need to be ready to match them in that.”