Tara Murray
East Sunbury is building the foundations for the future in the Essendon District Football League women’s division 2 competition.
Fielding a women’s side for the first time, the Thunder is yet to win a match and has had some big losses in the first part of the season.
Coach Lisa Borg said while the scoreboard could be tough to look at, there’s plenty of good signs for the group.
“We’ve got a few more numbers which has been good,” she said. “In the last month we’ve got four new players who have jumped on board.
“The scoreboard doesn’t reflect the team and their efforts. It can be disheartening, but the effort is there.”
Borg said they have struggled to convert and put scoreboard pressure back on the opposition.
She said while getting a win on the board would be really encouraging for the group, the focus is making sure they’re building the foundations.
“We want to have a strong culture and go from there,” she said. “The club has been fantastic in giving us what we need.”
Borg said there were a number of players that were showing some good signs.
Steph Pontonio is a first year player who has improved heaps, while captain Sophia Iosifidis has been a really good leader having come from a soccer background.
Jennifer Stevenson and Paris Latimer are a couple of others who have also improved heaps according to Borg.
For Borg one of the most pleasing things was the players were wanting to buy into what they’re doing.
“I expect a lot from them and at the start it was just my voice,” she said. “There are players who want to go places as well.
“They’re talking more about what we need to do and backing me up which is really good.”
There was a competition wide bye on the weekend, due to the King’s Birthday weekend.
The Thunder this week face Coburg Districts for the first time.
Borg said she doesn’t know much about them. She said they were more focused on their game, than the opposition.
“We want to get our structures right,” she said. “This year we want to get the numbers and get out there and have fun.
“They keep coming back and trying harder and that is the culture we’ve been looking to build.”
The Thunder men also face Coburg Districts this week after having the last two weeks off.
