When putting together a team for the inaugural girl’s TAC Cup competition, the Calder Cannons were keen to get it right from day one.
While they had previously identified many of the playing squad through their academy program, this year was a new beginning.
“I’ve been lucky to work at Cannons for a long time,” recalls Alicia Eva who, along with Jason Peak, coached the girls team this year.
“I’ve worked with the boys in the under-15s, under-16s and TAC Cup. We tried to bring across that pathway to our program.
“Credit to Pauline Leslie [Cannons Youth girls manager] and Ian Kyte [Cannons regional manager] for wanting to do it properly. The club has been big supporters of girls football.
“We started training in October and were training two times a week.
“There was optional recovery sessions which most of the girls attended. They wanted to be involved.”
The Cannons started the five-week season with a 96-point thrashing of Gippsland Power. It was soon followed by a hard-fought win against Eastern Ranges, then dominant wins against Western Jets and Oakleigh Chargers, to start the season 4-0.
With the premiership awarded to the side which finished on top of the ladder, a win against Bendigo Pioneers would all but seal the premiership. Murray Bushrangers were also undefeated but the Cannons held a higher percentage.
The Cannons completed the season undefeated with a 63-point win against Bendigo on Good Friday. The Bushrangers then needed a big win to claim the premiership. They got the win, but finished 180.36 per cent behind the Cannons.
While premierships are the ultimate outcome for local football clubs, for the Cannons it was icing on the cake.
Eva said the end result was reward for all the effort the players and staff had put in during the season.
“It’s pretty exciting and the girls are still really pumped about it,” she said.
“Anyone who has worked in the TAC Cup knows the goal is development and now there’s a pathway to AFLW league.
“The goal as coaches is to get players drafted. You build an ethos of development and building skills.
“Getting wins on the board is a bonus.”
Eva said she expected some of the Cannons players to join her in the AFLW next year and the years to come.
Eva finished runner-up in Collingwood’s women’s best and fairest award. She said Lauren Caruso, Alicia Rooth and Chloe Molloy were three players who may not have been on the radar at the start of the season, but deserved opportunities based on their development.
Molloy, a former basketballer, topped the goalkicking while sharing the league’s best and fairest award with Dandenong Stingrays’ Bridie Kennedy. They finished one vote clear of star Cannon Madison Prespakis, who only played four games. Prespakis will return to the Cannons next season.
“We sat down as club and had a list of players who would definitely get drafted,” Eva said.
“We earmarked some who might get drafted. It may be this year, or it could be two to three years after playing a bit more senior football.”
