Premiership-winning Coastal Titans coach aiming for back-to-back flagsIF Perth woman Krystle Rivers can recapture the form that won her a swag of awards in 2006 and 2007, she may well win a spot in the WA team at this year's national football championships in Perth.
Rivers, one of a growing number of Indigenous women in the west playing football at State league level, last played for Western Australia at the 2007 championships.
The 17th chapter of the now-biennial event will be held in Perth from June 3-7. The final will be played at Subiaco Oval as a curtain-raiser to the Round 11 match between West Coast and Geelong.
But even if Rivers is overlooked for State selection, one suspects she'd be just as happy to concentrate on taking her team, the Coastal Titans, in the nine-team West Australian Women's Football League, to back-to-back flags.
The All-Australian (2006, 2007), twice best afield in WAWFL Grand Finals (2006, 2007) and the WAWFL's leading goal-kicker (2007) was the Titans' inaugural coach of the premiership-winning second division side last year. She also was a key player in the club's 2008 premiership league side.
Rivers said the secret to enjoying personal success was simple.
"When you enjoy what you're doing it makes things so much better; you learn to enjoy the game for what it is," she said. "Plus, it's not all my doing. It's to do with all the people I play footy with as well. I wouldn't have these awards if it wasn't for the team."
Rivers' goals this year are simple and she enters her fourth year in footy with a clear focus.
"To train and play well and hopefully to coach again. Just enjoy what I'm doing," she said.
Rivers said she is encouraged by the growing number of Aboriginal women taking up football in the WAWFL but would like to see their stocks rise more still.
"The number of Aboriginal women playing now is awesome," she said. "(But) not many people realise that there is a women's league here in WA so I still think there needs to be a lot more awareness of women's football, that women actually play footy for a start.
"It needs to be promoted more within WA and Australia, like having clinics in and outside of schools. We need to get it out to women in remote communities because you'll find some of the best talent is out there, too. Overall, I think that if there's more information about women's football you'll find more and more women wanting to get involved."
With Aboriginal women like Krystle Rivers playing a leading role in organised football in WA, that message has a good starting point already.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
Darren@AboriginalFootball.com.au
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Last Modified on 10/03/2009 21:33