This Sunday, our Youth Girls U15’s and our First Grade Women’s head to the Championship Series Semi-Finals at Valentine Sports Park. After very successful seasons for both squads, they will be heading into Sunday will all eyes on a spot in the Grand Final the following weekend.
Our Youth Girls U15’s kick off the day against competitive side FNSW Institute. The squad made history this season, winning the Football NSW Girls Youth League One competition with two games remaining. This is the first top division title in the Tigers Women and Girls program since earning promotion from the second tier in 2016. Assistant coach Sai Van Wegen is proud of the girls and their efforts over the season.
“We have had a very strong season this year and the team is ready and confident going into the finals and showing a good performance at Valentine Park this weekend” said Van Wegen. “It will be a good challenge, but I know the girls are ready for it. I’m very proud of the girls on how they have played as a team this season”.
Head Coach Steve Burns is confident in his team heading into Sunday and is looking forward to the challenge’
“We are looking forward to playing Institute on their home turf. Always a very tough game guaranteed, but we are up for the challenge”.
The U15 players are very excited to be participating in their first Semi-Finals. Co-captains Annie Hall and Ariana Garland-Powell will be leading the side on Sunday morning.
“We are super excited for the weekend and can’t wait to show of our skills from the past year” said the captains. “I think it will be a great game against FNSW Institute”.
Our First Grade Women have had a fantastic season in 2022, finishing 4th place and scoring 47 goals across the season – the second highest in the league. Head Coach Jake Stephenson is proud of how far the team has come this season.
“Congratulations to the players for making the finals in one of NPL1 Womens strongest and most competitive seasons” said Stephenson. “The senior squad have collectively come together and worked tirelessly throughout the entire season to support each other in achieving their goals. We are all very excited for the opportunity to play in the semi-finals and I can’t think of a better group of people who deserve this more. We go into this game full of confidence”.
First Grade’s leading goal scorer Ash Brodigan has been a massive contributor the team’s success, scoring 12 goals this season.
“Last Sunday wasn’t the result we wanted but we learnt a lot from that game, we will defiantly take the loss as a learning curve as we prepare for this weekend’s semi-final” said Brodigan. “As a team we are not going to dwell on the loss instead we will look to see what we can do this week in training to improve our performance as a whole”. To read Brodigan interview with NPL NSW, click here.
Captain Maddie Bart has been another key figure for the squad this season scoring 8 goals across the season. Bart believes her side has the passion and desire to get the job done.
“It was a nervous wait on Sunday night watching the other results come in, but the group are certainly looking forward to the clash with Uni on Sunday” said Bart. “We’ve been overlooked as a genuine title contender all year which suits us just fine – anything can happen in finals and we will definitely be leaving everything out there and pushing for a spot in the Grand Final. I believe in the group – we have the depth, talent, and motivation to get the job done on Sunday and can’t wait to get stuck in”.
First Grade player Josie Wilson is one of the few players in the squad who faced Sydney University in the 2019 Grand Final and is itching to reach the big dance once again.
“We have had a great season so far and I am really looking forward to the semi-final this weekend” said Wilson. “I know the team is feeling confident and excited going into the game against Sydney Uni. If it’s anything like our Grand Final against them in 2019, it’ll be a great game to watch, so I encourage everyone in the Tigers community to come down and support us!”
To watch the First Grade fixture against Sydney University this Sunday, head to NPL.TV!
Best of luck to both teams!
