VU Western Spurs coach Christina Polatjko and West Preston-Lakeside’s Brett Pollard spoke to NFL.org.au ahead of Sunday’s Northpark NFLW Division 2 grand final.
SPURS TAKE CONFIDENCE FROM SEMI WIN
VU Western Spurs coach Christina Polatajko believes her side has taken a lot of belief out of its Northpark NFLW Division 2 second semi-final win.
After winning the second semi-final against West Preston-Lakeside, the Spurs enjoyed a week off ahead of Sunday’s grand final at Preston City Oval.
“We knew that one win would get us into the grand final. We had a slow start but we were able to regroup at quarter time and stick to our game plan and structures and have a really good win against a strong side in West Preston-Lakeside,” Polatajko said.
“There’s always room for improvement and we’ve got training sessions before the grand final where we can hopefully fix some things.”
The Spurs will face off against West Preston-Lakeside in the grand final after enjoying their second week off, after also resting in the opening week of the finals courtesy of a first-place finish in the home and away season.
“After having the first week off we understood that it could maybe be a disadvantage to us but we feel that we turned it into an advantage because the players recharged.
“Nothing has changed heading into our next game. We’ll have the same routine at the same time and same day so that the girls are mentally prepared.
“We want to make sure that we are prepared and recharged and ready to go against whoever we play against.”
Polatajko is pleased with the positive morale of the group but is making sure her side remains focused on the fact that they still have one more hurdle to get over to lift the premiership cup.
“The spirit around the group is contagious. The girls have high energy levels and that’s something that you can’t teach. It’s about them believing in themselves. It’s about the trust they put into the team.
“Anything can happen in the finals but if they have the right mind set and play well, I’ve got no doubt we will be able to beat any team. I’ve got confidence in the girls
“We’ll go out and play again and hopefully have another win and make sure that we hold the cup at the end of the day.”
POLLARD PROUD OF ROOSTERS’ ACHIEVEMENTS
West Preston-Lakeside women’s coach Brett Pollard is proud of how far his team has come ahead of Sunday’s Northpark NFLW Division 2 grand final.
Fielding a senior women’s team for the first time in the club’s history, West Preston-Lakeside has already made a significant impact on the Northpark NFLW competition.
The Roosters finished second on the ladder at the end of the home and away season and advanced through to the grand final courtesy of a five-point win over Darebin in the preliminary final.
“We started the season with 34 girls and 20-odd of them had never played footy before so we’re really excited to test ourselves,” Pollard said.
“We were positive when we won one game this year and now we’re in a grand final so we’re on top of the world.”
The Roosters have had to play in all three weeks of the finals series to reach the premiership decider.
They defeated Darebin in the qualifying final, lost to the VU Western Spurs in the second semi final and then defeated the Falcons once again in the weekend’s preliminary final.
“We had a scrappy win on Sunday,” Pollard said.
“It was stoppage after stoppage. Our backline was fantastic. Chloe Oakley and Claire King were really consistent all day which was great for the team.
“I think it suits us better to have played every game rather than had the week off. I think our girls enjoyed playing the whole finals series.”
Now facing the VU Western Spurs again in the grand final, Pollard is well aware of the challenge ahead but is optimistic his side will be able to turn around its fortunes against the Spurs.
“The girls are up for the challenge. We thought we were a chance in the semi final after the Spurs only beat us by four points during the normal season but we were a bit flat and off our game in the semi,” he said.
“We don’t really concentrate on the opposition. We just do what we do and focus on our game and what we can do and hopefully that is enough.
“We only need to beat the Spurs once this year and that’s this weekend. But win, lose, or draw, we’ve had a fantastic first season of football.”
