Image: Anita Milas
Coach: Graham Dudley
2016: 8th
Summary: A learning season for Graham Dudley’s young group, Bayside’s results were mixed but a number of positives would have been taken from it, including the emergence of a few players to watch out for in the future.
Ins: Sienna Fogarty, Emma Runnells, Jesse Kotsikas, Amy Malander (all Alamein FC), Sarah Wieck
Outs: Emma Robers (Calder United), Marianna Anthony (Alamein FC), Erin Hudson (Alamein FC)
Re-signed: Kirstie Shearing, Ingrid Philippe, Emily Morris-Kraus, Stephanie Parton, Emily Heijden, Jamie Brown, Emily Harbis, Lily O’Brien, Bronte James, Ella Douglass, Kendra Jones, Vanessa Hynes, India Tait, Katie Lee
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Player Q&A: Kirstie Shearing
How’s pre-season going? Where have you been with the team?
Pre-season has been going very well, we were lucky enough to have practically the whole squad training together since late October. This has allowed us to build as a unit and work on key areas from last season that needs improvement.
We had pre-season training camp to Wodonga in early February that consisted of a few training sessions and a game against a Wodonga representative team. The trip away also gave us a chance to bond as a team off the pitch, which was great.
What have the club’s pre-season results been?
We have mixed results over the preseason losing 1-0 to Geelong and 2-1 to bulleen. We had comfortable wins over Sandringham and Wodonga and last weekend beat southern 2-1.
How are the new signings settling in?
The new signings have settled into the team incredibly well. A lot of us have played together previously so we were already familiar with one another on the pitch which has definitely assisted the process.
We have such a close group of girls at Bayside and the new girls have immediately embrace the culture that we have built here at Bayside.
Who are the Bayside players to watch in 2017 (new or existing) and why?
Steph Parton is definitely someone to watch, she leads from the back and won our best and fairest last season. Such a reliable and hard-working defender.
Jamie Brown is another one who had a great season last year for us and is incredibly versatile, able to play just about any position on the pitch. She’s such a hard-working player who gets better every week and definitely has a promising future.
Also Sienna Fogarty and Jesse Kotsikas add a lot of experience for us in the middle of the pitch which we lacked at times last season, so both will be extremely important for us this season.
Who are the some of the bigger characters off the pitch and why?
Would have to be Emily Harbis, she’s one of a kind. Always has the girls laughing and can lift the mood in the change rooms instantly with her amazing and dramatic stories.
Indi Tait is another big personality.. always keen for a dab!
How’s Graham Dudley been preparing the squad?
Graham has been working hard this pre-season to prepare the girls for the long season ahead. Mainly working on which players work best in a variety of positions and formations and making sure we are all on the same page. We have also incorporated strength and conditioning sessions into our training regime this season which has been great.
Which team/player are you most looking forward to facing this year?
I’m looking forward to playing Calder most, they are the premiers from last season and have recruited well in the off-season so it’s always a challenge to play against them.
Which opposition club(s) have impressed you most in pre-season?
From the teams that we faced in pre-season I would say that Bulleen were quite impressive, they are always a strong team and again have recruited well in the off season so will definitely be a strong contender again.
What are the expectations/objectives in 2017?
We obviously want to improve on our results and performances from last year so we would definitely be aiming to win more games this time round and the goal is always to play finals football.
What’s one headline we may see about Bayside this season?
‘Bayside sail their way to finals’