Leading the way: Keeley Skepper (Shepparton United) and Madison Gray (Shepparton Swans) will share the Murray Bushrangers captaincy this NAB League season.
Photo by
Contributed
After months of agonising waiting football finally returns for the region’s brightest female talents this weekend, as the Murray Bushrangers begin their NAB League season with a trip to Yarrawonga to face Bendigo Pioneers.
Hold tight - we’re checking permissions before loading more content
After a 2021 campaign that yielded three wins and a 10th-placed finish, a more experienced core of players, led by top draft prospect Keeley Skepper, has the Bushrangers’ brainstrust confident of a resurgence in what is set to be a new-look NAB League season.
Once again on deck to marshal the troops this season is assistant coach Mario De Santa-Ana, who said the girls were in great shape ahead of their round one clash with the Pioneers.
“We are really happy with how the squad is looking heading into the new season, the general view from the coaching panel is that we’re improved in terms of quality and our squad profile from last year,” De Santa-Ana said.
“We think we’ve got a stronger physical side in terms of running and athletic attributes, we tested quite well at the testing day in December with a lot of girls in the top 10 of each category, so the data certainly supports that we are better, and we are thinking we are going to be very competitive on the field this year.”
This season is set to be bigger and better than before, with the AFL announcing on Tuesday that the girls would play two extra games and quarter lengths will be bumped up from 17 to 20 minutes.
De Santa-Ana said despite the late notice, he was confident the girls would relish the opportunity to play more football.
“I think the change to the quarters came in very late in the piece, so it is unknown how we will manage with the 20-minute periods, our prep has been based on 17-minute quarters, but every side is in that same boat,” he said.
“I think the girls will love the challenge, I think it will be a test for them physically and mentally, but a positive test and I think they’ll be up to it.
“In terms of the extra games, any game of football the girls can get is a bonus, so we are really looking forward to those extra matches and we think that eventually we will get more games as the program grows over the next few years.”
Sporting a line-up filled with up-and-coming talent, De Santa-Ana highlighted four players fans should watch out for.
“We have our two captains, Keeley Skepper and Madison Gray, who are in the under-19 Victoria Country squad, so they are sort of under the microscope a little bit in terms of talent pathways,” he said.
“A bit of a dark horse out there is Cassidy Mailer, she is a Shepparton United player and missed a considerable amount of football last year with a leg injury, but has come back and is super fit and just has really good skills, so we are expecting big things from her.
Promising prospect: Murray Bushrangers assistant coach Mario De Santa-Ana is expecting big things out of Shepparton Swans product Payten Johnston.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“A younger one is Payten Johnston, physically she is quite gifted, runs well, kicks well and she’s a Shepparton Swans girl, so at 16 years old we see a very bright future for her.”
While winning games and climbing the ladder is incredibly important, when it comes to setting goals for the 2022 campaign De Santa-Ana has his mind set on the bigger picture.
“In the program we are in 99 per cent of what we do is about development, we aren’t too focused on results, but obviously if you win it’s a bonus,” he said.
“Our end goal is for every one of our players to leave the program better than when they started and hopefully get as many girls drafted as we can.”
