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<\/p>\nBy Lachlan Ellis<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A local footballer has become the first female player to reach 100 junior games for her club, and her first coach believes she has what it takes to play at the top level.
\nSixteen-year-old Elise Cook played her 100th game for the Bacchus Marsh Cobras on Sunday 31 July, a milestone made even sweeter with Ms Cook booting a goal, and her U\/16s side thumping East Point by 114 points.
\nDarren Smith was Ms Cook\u2019s first football coach, taking her on as part of the U\/10s boys\u2019 team.
\nMr Smith said she took well to playing with the boys, and was a natural talent that could inspire younger female footballers.
\n\u201cShe just got straight into it\u2026when I started coaching the U\/10s, my oldest son was age eligible and my youngest son perhaps wasn\u2019t, but I was given the okay by the President at the time. I thought, I\u2019ve got a duty of care\u2026when I got there, Elise was there. I thought, I\u2019ve got a girl and young boy, I\u2019d better take care of these two\u2026what I found out very quickly was, Elise didn\u2019t need looking after,\u201d he told the Moorabool News.
\n\u201cBack then in 2014, it was before AFLW was introduced. I certainly thought it was the future, and Elise was a bit of a pioneer within the club in terms of females playing footy. In U\/10s, you have kids who have a grasp, and you have kids who are right at the start of their football journey.
\n\u201cElise had the capability of being agile, coordinated, and kicking the footy from the get-go. When AFLW started, they\u2019d have a lot of athletes coming from different sports playing footy. I think Elise is in the box seat to chase down an AFLW career, if she wants to have a crack at that. She\u2019s a footballer, she\u2019s not an athlete playing footy.\u201d
\nMs Cook said being the first junior female to play 100 games for Bacchus Marsh was a proud achievement, and getting called up for an AFLW side in a couple of years would be a dream come true.
\n\u201cIt felt pretty special to run out for my 100th, I was really excited. I really enjoyed it. It was alright playing with the boys when I was younger, it was a bit like playing with my brother in the backyard really,\u201d Ms Cook said.
\n\u201cIt was a big step this year playing with the Rebels in the NAB League, and for Vic Country. I was nervous at first, the intensity of the footy is much higher and there are a lot of people with a higher skill level. But settling into that was good, learning new skills, and meeting new people was a good experience,\u201d she said.
\n\u201cI hope to make AFLW, that\u2019s my end goal. I really want to stick with footy. It\u2019d mean a lot to hear my name called out on Draft Night, it\u2019d be a dream.\u201d
\nMs Cook also thanked her past coaches Darren Smith, Brett Stone, and current coach Damian Dannett, as well as BMFNC Junior President Michael Kennedy, Dean Jenks, and her mum, dad, grandparents, and brother Will for their constant support.
\nIn total, Ms Cook has played over 103 games of football with the Bacchus Marsh club.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Lachlan Ellis A local footballer has become the first female player to reach 100 junior games for her club, and her first coach believes she has what it takes to play at the top level. Sixteen-year-old Elise Cook played her 100th game for the Bacchus Marsh Cobras on Sunday 31 July, a milestone made […]<\/p>\n