Wagga City's Godbier buoyant ahead of inaugural season
By Jakob Gisik
Teams often enter round one with question marks over their opponents, their overall level of competition, and sometimes even themselves.
For most teams, round one is a step into the unknown.
This couldn’t be more true for the Wagga City Wanderers, who are set to kick-off their inaugural season in the NPLW this weekend.
The Wanderers will be part of a nine team NPLW competition for 2019, joining reigning premiers Belconnen United, Canberra FC, Canberra Olympic, Canberra United Academy, Gungahlin United, Monaro Panthers, Tuggeranong United and Woden-Weston FC.
Wanderers Head Coach Mick Godbier said his teams opening round match on Sunday will mark a momentous occasion for the club and the region.
“This has been a long time coming for women’s football in the Riverina,” Godbier said earlier this week.
“It has been a long wait, a long preseason, but I know the girls, myself and the club are very excited to start.”
Indeed, for many of the Wanderers players, round one will be their first time playing at a premier league level, something Godbier views as a great opportunity.
“This is really [the girls] first opportunity to play at that next level, that higher level than what they would play in Wagga,” Godbier said.
“This season is about giving girls from the Riverina an opportunity to play at that next level, and winning games will just be a bonus.”
Wagga City’s move to Canberra also presents a great opportunity for the younger girls at the club.
In Wagga, girls in the younger age groups, such as U13’ss and U15’s, are limited to playing in mixed-competitions until they are old enough to play first grade.
But that won’t be the case now that they’re a member of the Capital Football competitions, with four separate grades of all-girls underpinning the senior squad.
As for the NPLW team though, no side is stepping into the unknown more than them, and while he admits it will be a challenge, Godbier believes his side is ready to go.
“We’ve got some good young players and we have prepared well, so we’re ready to go as a team and as a squad.”
The Wanderers NPLW journey gets underway on Sunday against Tuggeranong United at Rawlings Park in Wagga Wagga.
Don’t forget, you can catch all the round one action from the NPLW live on BarTV Sports.
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