Thomson female footy manages new challenges

THOMSON female football coach Simon Cavallo says the Tigers are on the lookout for more players as they manage having two teams for the first time this year.

The team introduced a Division 2 side this year after being ineligible to gain premiership points in Division 1 last year due to being over the player points cap.

“So we had a 40-point cap in Division 1 and we couldn’t get under maybe 55 points,” Cavallo said.

“So the compromise in the league and from AFL Barwon’s point of view was that we could participate but not win.

“We actually beat every team last year but none of them counted. Our goal last year was to knock everyone off once, which we achieved.

“And then rolling into this year, part of the motivation for starting a second team was to release some of the point pressure across two teams rather than have so many people miss out in just one team.”

Thomson’s Division 2 outfit has yet to win a game while the Division 1 side is third on the ladder with a 4-1 win-loss record.

The Division 2 side has scored just one point across its past two matches, losing by considerable margins to Modewarre and South Barwon respectively.

“Availability is a tricky one, especially with a second team this year for the first time, it’s been challenging for us to field as a strong a team as we would like in Division 2,” Cavallo said.

“So we’re always on the lookout for more people that want to be involved.”

The Tigers coach also spoke more broadly about the issue.

“The common theme around the league is that it’s hard getting help,” he said.

“A lot of teams are struggling for numbers while you’ve got some teams that have a handful of girls missing out on games because they’ve only got one team and surplus players.

“But it’s a really tricky juggling act, no matter which path you go down.

“I’ve experienced both sides, but for us, it’s just about offering that participation, an opportunity where people can come down and they’ll not miss out because we’ve got two teams.”

Thomson’s Division 1 side is playing St Mary’s this Sunday, June 1 at 11am.