Werribee Masters Football Club fielded its first ever women’s team on Saturday.
The Tigers are celebrating their 35th anniversary this season, but it is ushering in a new era with the addition of the women’s over 30s side.
It was a hugely successful start for the Tigers women’s team, holding Coburg scoreless in the season opener at Wyndhamvale South Oval in a 67-point win.
No matter what the result on this day, it was always going to be a landmark day for the club.
“It was a massive day for the club,” Tigers coach Kerry Saunders said.
“It’s an initiative they’ve jumped on board with, which has been really good.
“All the guys down at the club are excited about it too.
“We’ve trained on the Tuesday night for the past few weeks alongside them and they’re keen to interact.”
Werribee’s first outing will be remembered for its incredible accuracy in front of goal.
The Tigers booted 11.1 – their only blemish coming in the second quarter.
Sondra Rometta kicked four goals in the rout, while Tara Crisp added three.
It was a dominant Tigers team from go to whoa.
With so many players new to the game, Saunders did not know what to expect going into game one.
“I had players that I still hadn’t met before the game on Saturday,” she said.
The growth of women’s football in the west has been huge in recent years.
At the elite level, the Western Bulldogs won the AFL Women’s competition.
The Western Region Football League started up its own competition after a year amalgamated with the Essendon District Football League.
There is now VFL Women’s teams at Williamstown and the Western Bulldogs.
Werribee’s decision to start up an over 30s women’s team in the Victorian Metropolitan Superules League fills a void in the market.
“It gives them a chance to go, ‘you know what, I missed the boat 20 years ago, but I’m going to have a crack at it and enjoy it along the way’,” Saunders said.
There were whispers going around that the inaugural season would not have a grand final.
While Werribee’s priority is to promote football in a fun environment, the players did take exception to the fact they may not be playing for anything other than pride.
The top two sides will play off for a premiership at the end of the season.
“It’s about fun and learning, it’s about getting out there and giving it a go,” Saunders said.
“But you should’ve heard them the other night when they said there might not be a grand final and the players said ‘why are we playing for?’
“It’s going to be an unofficial grand final, so the top two will play off and there is scoring, but the ears pricked up and there were bristles as soon as they mentioned there would possibly be no grand final.
“We want to win, we’re not just in this for full-on entertainment, we’re in for the long haul. Yes there will be fun along the way and a lot of socialising, but the priority is to win.”
Judging by the round one victory, Werribee could well be in the premiership mix come season’s end.
The Tigers have worked hard for two-and-a-half months on the training track and built a competitive playing list, so there is no reason why they cannot mount a challenge at the end of the season.
“We’re dead set keen, we’re here to win.”
