Brothers fall at the final Kappa Cup four
RARELY have Steve Mcnaughton and his Brothers brigade been outplayed.
But, faced with an NPL outfit under semi-final pressure, Townsville’s leading women in football were taught a lesson in emphatic fashion.
The blue and white side were dealt a 6-0 Kappa Cup defeat at the hands of Western Pride, with the difference in speed and execution evident from the outset.
Coach Mcnaughton said it was a valuable lesson for his Brothers to learn if they were determined to attain new heights.
A host of young players fall under Mcnaughton’s wing,
including 15-year-old goalkeeper Layne Chapman.
So used to clean sheets while showcasing her rapid reflexes, the junior Matildas training squad member was dealt her first realisation about what it takes to reach the elite level.
Mcnaughton said Saturday night’s defeat would have been tough for the teenager to swallow, but ultimately it was a challenge she needed to experience.
“I think for the younger girls, and Layne who is obviously identified as an up and comer with age on her side, it gives an eye opener to what NPL level is, and what it takes to get to W-league, Matildas and all that stuff,” he said.
“It is massive steps and the
commitment needs to be there. Not that she hasn’t got it, but there’s a lot of work.
“When you see people on the national stage it’s not just luck, they’ve done it through hard graft and hard work. The quality of their finishing was stuff we have not seen here in the local league.
“We’ve got one or two quality players who can finish goals, but when they’ve got half a dozen who can turn left and right, hit it with the left and their right, and put it in the back of the net it’s a big difference.”
Mcnaughton and his side will now purely focus on the North Queensland Premier League, with the premiership now secured with two matches still to play.
But the Townsville football veteran said the statewide Kappa Cup had showcased just how important it was for local teams to get a taste of higher quality opposition.
One noticeable difference between Brothers and the Pride was how the NPL contenders demanded excellence from each other. There was no fear to be vocal at one another, within reason, and in turn their offensive movements were backed with precision and intent.
Mcnaughton praised the Queensland knockout concept, but said now they needed to build on the tournament to expose the regions to more testing environments.
He said for the local clubs to ever be triumphant at the end of such competitions, more elite level coaches were needed to also ensure participation remained high.
“As far as the top flight, they need to see good quality football each and every week. Whether that’s in the form of a Premier League, the form of a Football Queensland Premier League version, that’s for the powers that be to start building,” Mcnaughton said.
“This is a really good concept. I would see something similar to the FFA Cup being the next iteration. I think that (going national) has to be it; it needs to replicate the male version of that.
“When you look at any sort of model, it needs to start somewhere and starting at the local league is where it’s at.”