12 Girls – Proudly Sponsored By JR Electrical

A new season is upon us and all our players have been training hard over the past few weeks in preparation. To find out more about each team we will be running a series of profiles between now and season kick off. This week we talk with Anson Gilligan, Co-Coach of the 12 Girls to see how things are shaping.

Editor: “Anson, trials start this weekend with Premier League kicking of 6 October. Tells us a bit about your team.”

Anson: “Both Tom and I are really happy with way things are shaping up at the moment. We have a good mix of experienced and first year players. We also have a good blend of 11 & 12 year olds. The girls’ skill levels are quite good for their age but the main thing that stands out is their willingness to get stuck in. They’re a great group and are very coachable. They pick things up quickly and do the things we ask of them to the best of their ability.”

Editor: “What will be the main focus for this group this year?”

Anson: “The girls are still relatively new to futsal and we will be focussing on teaching them the fundamentals of the game. We’ll be working on their skills and on some basic tactical situations. The main aim is to show them how much fun the game is and hopefully their love of the game will grow. We’ll be keeping things simple: teach them the basics and then let them loose.”

Editor: “Do you and Tom have any expectations with regards to how the girls will fair in the standings?”

Anson: “To be honest, we didn’t have any expectation before trials and before we saw the girls train. We were just looking to pick a squad that we could develop and start on the pathway to the older age groups. But after seeing the girls play and train we are really excited about their prospects this year. We don’t want to put any pressure on them but we think the squad is good enough to make the finals. And as last year’s 12 Girls showed, anything is possible in the finals.”

Editor: “Can you give us a quick rundown of the players?”

Anson: “Sure. Let’s start with this year’s Captain, Lilly RALSTON. Lilly’s back after a couple of years off. She’s as tough as nails and will mostly play at Pivot holding the girls together. She’s full of energy and a laugh a minute and really enjoys the game. Emily NORTH is back from last year’s 12 Girls and she has impressed us with her skill, toughness and ability to read the game. She is quality. Ebony McCUE-SHORE is also back from last year and you can see that last year’s experience has done her the world of good as she understands the game well. She’s already a good player and will only get better. Tiff CRAIG is new this year and is showing promise as our Goal Keeper. She’s a good shot stopper and has the one quality you can’t teach – heart. Rosie GALEA starts her second year with us this year and is looking like she is going to be even better than she was last year – and that’s saying something! She’ll cause her opponents headaches all year. Brooke PEPPER is new to the squad and we have plans of making her the most feared Target in the comp – she can really bomb it. Jaimi KYNASTON is also new. She’s finding her feet at the moment but she has size and strength and we think by year’s end she’ll be a very handy player. Vesna MILIVOJEVIC steps up from last year’s Academy team. Don’t let her size fool you, her skills are truly remarkable and she has an eye for goal. She is worth getting to the games early just to watch her on the ball. Andrea MURTAGH joins us this year. She has a high futsal IQ, reads the game well and plays her role in the team to great effect. And she doesn’t look it but she is as tough as they come, bouncing back up from some pretty big falls and getting on with things. And final we have Jess GALLAZO joining us from Super League last year. Great skills, can really smash the ball and has a good eye for goal.”

Editor: “Anson, thanks for that. Anything else you’d like to add?”

Anson: “No worries. I’d just like to say that Tom and I realise that we have a great group to work with and we’re excited about their potential. In the end, if we help them improve and they want to come back and play next year we’ll be happy that we’ve done our job.”