Caulfield Cobras’ players and staff trudged off Broadmeadow Valley Park’s synthetic pitch on Sunday after a harsh WPL initiation — a 7-1 thrashing at the hands of Sandringham Soccer Club.
It was the type of scoreline the Cobras may have become accustomed to inflicting on State League opponents during their three consecutive promotions, a meteoric rise that yielded a first ever campaign in the state’s premier competition.
But now the newcomers are once more a small fish in a big pond, who will have to adapt and grow as a team in order to first survive, and then thrive in the top division.
Captain Dani Jackson, one of the few players at Caulfield with WPL experience – previously at Ashburton – alluded to the challenge facing her side.
“We might not be as fit as the other girls as well, we’re still coming up into this league, it’s a totally different league from State One,” Jackson said.
“It’s not just one jump, it feels like a million jumps.
“We’re a young team and still learning as a team, it’s a really big step up for all of us, we’ll take this loss as a learning opportunity and we’ll be learning more and more throughout the season.”
Jackson has experienced a transition of her own this season, with Caulfield’s key defensive departures and injuries forcing coach Yanni Galanis to shift the playmaker into a central defensive role.
But the captain admits she is just happy to be leading a side in the Premier League, with part of the responsibility involving stepping into any position to help out the team when required.
“[Captaincy] is something I always thought about playing as a young kid,” she said.
“I had a couple of teammates who were captains that I looked up to. It’s a bit of a vision that I’ve stepped into that I’m pretty proud about.
“It’s not ideal that I have to play [in defence], but I’ll take it and step up. There were a couple of times where I really wanted to take that ball up, and even take it all the way if I could.
“I think being one of the oldest and more experienced in the team, I’ve got to step up and be that person in the backline to help everybody out.
Now in her second season at the Cobras, Jackson already feels like part of the furniture and believes the team’s close bond can guide it through tough results, emulating sides like Boroondara Eagles that thrived in their first season in the WPL after struggling early.
“This team is like a family, everyone’s really close, it’s a tight knit family,” she said.
“The girls are super friendly and great to get along with, so it was an easy fit.
“There’s a reason why we played some hard teams in pre-season because we want to be prepared, and I think we’ll keep learning and come together really well at the end of the season.”
Caulfield Cobras have another tough fixture this week, when they face Boroondara Eagles away on Sunday. Kick-off at Knox Regional Football Centre is scheduled for 6.00pm.