The Yass Roos ladies’ side with hit the ground running with the addition of experienced player and coach Kaitlin Dobing.
Kaitlin has joined the Roos after coming back from injury and playing at a high level and is looking forward to continuing to enjoy both the excellent culture she has witnessed at the club as well as the great group of ladies she has been training with.
“I’m actually Canberra based and travelling out to Yass. I thought I’d take a step back and just enjoy some footy this year, so I looked for a club that has a good culture and that whole community vibe and Yass sung out to me and the rest is history.
“It was time for me to take a back seat and when the coaching opportunity came up I couldn’t say no.
“It’s a bit of an unknown comp as we are not sure who we are yet. Everyone coming through is new and we are starting to get to know each other and just see how we work. Most are new to the game, so it’s going to be a very different, unique experience there. I’ve been more a part of the senior footy comp in the Canberra league. I know a little bit about the community comp but it’s not the same familiar territory that I’ve been used to.
“I will be coaching and playing. I’m a bit of a utility, I get thrown wherever I’ve been needed around the ground, depending on the team dynamics. “I did my time as a defender, a forward and a mid, but you probably will not see me ruck as I’m a bit short, but it will be where the team needs me, but I’m coming back from a knee injury a couple of seasons ago.
“I came back to footy half way through last season after doing pretty much my whole knee, ACL, MCL, Meniscus, tore my hamstring and fractured the top of my Tib Fib.
“It was a bit of a freak accident. I did that in footy a couple of season’s ago, and I was able to get back on the park half way through last season and I’ve got to get used to how the body now works with that difference as it works slightly differently, it’s not as agile on that leg with an injury like that. I’m now 26. “I’ve been with the Yass group for the last five weeks now. I’ve been able to meet a solid group of about seven of the girls through training and we have gone out and done some social things including going out for dinner after a session and we’ve gone out to Manuka and watched the Giants v Carlton game. We are trying to get to know each other off the field as well as on the field.
“Since I went out and about to the group that I will be taking the lead and heading up the side, I’ve been trying to reach out to a few players that have been on the chat just to get to know them through virtual communication and see how we can make things work to get engaged for part of the season and how we can accommodate to make things happen. Kaitlin is looking for a few more players to get a side together and for those sitting on the fence and a bit unsure about playing Aussie Rules, they can turn up and be taught the game and have fun. “The big target for us this year is just to enjoy the footy, enjoy the people you are going to take the field with and I think that is what is really attractive about community footy, it’s all about that fun culture and the community culture and I’m quite lucky I’ve walked into a club like Yass and their culture is amazing. The men’s team is super supportive, they are encouraging, the whole club is and that makes it so easy for the girls to feel comfortable and welcomed in to the environment.
“For the girls sitting on the fence, come down, give it a try, meet us, we are a great bunch of people, and everyone is keen to see everybody just enjoy it and support each other, teach each other and you are not alone, there’s a whole group of people that are new to the game.
‘We train on Tuesdays and Thursday at 6.30pm. Thursdays are locked in at the Yass turf. We are trying to play around with the locations with the Tuesday one, just to see if that will engage some more girls, but at this stage it’s at Joe O’Con-nor Park. “The draw is not re-leased yet, we are waiting on AFL Canberra to lock that in and announce it, but round one will likely be in April. “We haven’t got any scratch matches locked in yet, we are trying to get the girls down to training and we haven’t got quite enough numbers yet to commit to a scratch match, but we can do a lot of that game prep work between the girls that turn up. There’s no pressure to play if you don’t want to, but girls are encouraged to get down there and give it a go. “Just come and try, test the waters and see if it suits you. Anything in sport depends on how you fit with it as well. You might come down and it might be exactly what you expected or better or not quite hitting the mark.”
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