Friday, February 2, 2024

Western United women ready to take on the Mariners at North Hobart tomorrow

Photo:  Some of the Western United women's squad at Hobart Airport today. [PlessPix] 

The Western United A-League Women’s team touched down in Hobart today ready for their clash with Central Coast Mariners tomorrow.

The game is at 2.15 pm at North Hobart Oval.

Western United currently sit second on the standings, while the Mariners are fifth, just 2 points behind.

Western United coach, Kat Smith, said everyone was fit and this posed a selection problem.

She said Western United would field their strongest possible line-up.

Photo:  Kat Smith, the Western United women's team coach. [PlessPix] 

“We’ve got some selection headaches coming up,” said Smith.

“That’s the downside of the job, I guess, but it’s a good problem to have.

“I believe North Hobart Oval is a beautiful venue.

“The men were here last week and we had some great feedback in terms of the surface and we’re really looking forward to it.

“I’m looking forward to the game despite the plane ride in, which was a little bumpy.  It’s great to be here.

“Conditions play a part in the game but I think the way we try to play the game, with the ball on the floor and in possession, I think we’ll be okay.

“We’ve focused on ourselves all week and we obviously pay due respect to the opposition week in and week out but our focus is always on ourselves and we’ll have our structures well placed to take on any team in the league.

“This is our home away from home and we’ve got some great support here and we should have some great support turn out tomorrow.

“It’s great to play games in all parts of our beautiful country.

“Our position on the ladder is reward for all the hard work the girls put in.

“There’s no more than three points available every weekend so you just focus on that week to week.

Co-captain and Matilda midfielder Chloe Logarzo will be up against the Mariners’ Matilda, Kyah Simon.

Logarzo said it was good to be in Hobart (the first time for her) despite the bumpy ride on the plane because of the strong winds.

Photo:  Matilda and Western United midfielder, Chloe Logarzo. [PlessPix] 

“I’m excited to be here because I wasn’t able to come last year,” Logarzo said.

“I heard it’s a fabulous pitch”

“At the start [of the season] we had a transition of coaches and sometimes that’s good and sometimes it’s bad.

“Kat’s got us on board in a short period of time and has us playing a system and that’s been tremendous and a credit to the girls and the coaching staff.

“There’s a lot of things to tidy up for tomorrow’s game and concentrating on all the aspirations we have.

“For us, it’s just a case of going back and fixing one or two things, but I don’t want to give away our tactics.

“Week after week we’re building on everything and one thing I really like about this team is we’re able to change formations on the fly.

“This is the first time we’ve played Mariners and we know they’re a tenacious team and they come our hard and they’re strong and they’re fast and it’s hard to play against a team that never gives up.

“They’re like us in that regard, and it’s like the way we play, so it should be a good clash.”

Western United train at North Hobart today at 4.30pm.

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