Tasmania prepare for unknown in Seasol Bass Strait Cup Tasmania will host a monumental Women’s All Stars fixture this Sunday at KGV Football Park, when Tasmania play the WPL All Stars from Victoria at 1:00PM. Tasmania has selected a squad of 16 to take on their Victorian counterparts. Olympia FC Warriors Vice-Captain Rani Cavarretta was selected off the back of a stellar 2013 in the Forestry Tasmania Southern Women’s Premier League, including 24 goals in her side’s premiership year. Cavarretta is excited to be selected for what is a new frontier for Tasmanian Women’s football. “(I am) pretty excited and privileged to be selected, I have only represented Tasmania at youth age groups, to be in a Women’s squad is the first time for me is great and we have a young group so hopefully it will keep happening and we can stick together over a number of years and improve together.” The Warriors leader believes the day presents a huge opportunity for Women’s football in the state. “Getting exposure to the Victorian players and seeing where we are at with them is really important,” said Cavarretta. Cavarretta is also hopeful the Tasmanian public will turn out for what is a rare opportunity to witness high-class interstate Women’s football teams in Tasmania. “We want this to happen more and more so hopefully people will get behind it.” While they come in as outsiders the Tasmanian midfielder is hopeful of causing an upset. “We are looking really good, most of us have actually played together before, everyone is getting familiar with each other and we are starting to gel well.” “I am hopeful we can win it, to be honest I don’t know what we are in for but if we go in there with the right mindset, thinking we have a chance, prepared to work hard we may shock people,” said Cavarretta. The 2013 Southern golden boot winner thinks the middle of the park is where the game will be won or loss. “We have a huge group to pick from midfield, we have a lot of talented players in there, so if we can find a group that will dominate the middle, get some control and get the ball forward because once we are forward we have pace and I think we have players capable of hitting the back of the net.” Co-Coach Michael Foote agrees with Cavarretta, highlighting several players that could provide a spark for the Tasmanian side. “We have some terrific midfield players, Ellie Gavalas Lucy Foote, Jessie Williams, Caitlyn Storay, we are strong there and shoot match it well there,” Foote said. “We have a young team with the eldest player at 23 years of age and I think we have a good mix of experience and youth. We expect to be competitive and to be able to match up well with them on match day. The Northern Tasmania Women’s coach of the year says the Tasmanian Women will have to be tight in defence. “We will need to be diligent in our defensive zone, I have always said it is mistakes that will cost you, especially in the defensive third, we have some terrific midfield players so hopefully we will match it well with them there. “If we can take away a result we will be over the moon and the girls will know better where Tasmanian football sits.” Both Foote and Cavarretta are unsure of what to expect from their opposition. “I recon they are going to be quick, talented players, they are the best from each club team so I am expecting pace, good skill on the ball and good technical ability, it is going to be a challenge so it is going to be the 50-50 battles that we are going to have to win out,” said Cavarretta. “We know they are at a decent level, I expect them to be well drilled, well organized, I expect them to have a high skill level and I expect we may have our work cut out but yet again we don’t know too much, they are an unknown quantity,” said Foote. Foote is hopeful the event will become a mainstay on the Tasmanian football calendar. “I’d like to see it penciled in to the yearly schedule along with North vs South Women’s fixtures, it is good to give more Women at the higher level a chance to play.” The traveling WPL All Stars Coach Shaun Parton said his side was excited for the trip to Tasmania. “There is a lot of excitement in the camp going into the unknown,” Parton said. ?? “The positive feeling is reinforced with huge respect considering the importance to represent the entire WPL...and the cup added for recognition. Feelings are good.”?? Parton – who won the WPL championship as Sandringham coach at the weekend – said he has been pleased with the team’s preparation.?? “The sessions have been fun and focused by everyone involved and that is everything you can ask for,” he said. “Everyone is fine and we have to give credit to the fitness levels the WPL requires as all players are ready to go.”?? Parton said ensuring all players were “comfortable in their roles and understand their responsibilities” would be the key to winning on Sunday, but said his girls were not focused solely on the result. “With a cup at stake, the result will be on everyone’s mind, however the opportunity and exposure of this side of the game is considerably more important (and) we are looking forward to a great game of football.” Tasmania WPL All Stars Squad: Lisa Bremner (Taroona) Rani Cavarretta (Olympia) Georgia Foote (Ulverstone) Lucy Foote (Ulverstone) Ellie Gavalas (NTC) Isabella Gee (NTC) Stacie Hutchinson (NTC) Hanna Manuela (Taroona) Louisa Marmion (NTC) Innocent Michael (NTC) Emma Norton (UTAS) Mady Obrien (Olympia) Caitlin Storay (Launceston City) Amelia Van Der Niet (Clarence) Kiara Walsh (Launceston City) Jessie Williams (NTC) WPL All Stars of Victoria squad: Natalie Martineau (South Melbourne Women) Alex Cheal (South Melbourne Women) Jessica Tay (Bulleen Lions) Melissa Missailidis (Bundoora United) Leigh Gray (Heidelberg United) Erin Brennan (Heidelberg United) Brittany Dudley-Smith (Casey Comets) Elizabeth Eyar (Preston Lions) Line Johansen (Box Hill United) Stacey Papadopoulos (Box Hill United) Sienna Fogarty (Sandringham) Christie Parton (Sandringham) Stephanie Tanti (Sandringham) Christine Pfeiffer (Ashburton Women) Sky Jensen (Altona City) Tijen Hussein (Cairnlea). Match Details Seasol Bass Strait Cup Tasmania WPL All Stars vs WPL All Stars of Victoria KGV Football Park (18 Grove Road, Glenorchy 7010) Sunday 27 October 1:00PM
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 07:15:28 +0000