South Mandurah’s brand new women’s team is getting a leg up – literally – with some specialised training from one of Australia’s most established goal kickers.
Falcons legend Rod “Rocket” Tregenza has been on deck to show the squad the finer points of booting a goal over the past few weeks, with his training clearly showing on the back of consecutive big wins over Dwellingup.
Alongside head coach Solomon Daw, the retired spearhead has been putting forwards through their paces showing them how to use their strengths and build confidence in their routine.
Read more:
“Everyone’s different in the way they kick goals so it’s kind of hard to tell someone how they should go about it,” he said.
“Really, I just tell them to do it however they feel comfortable, and then try to help them get the most out of that technique.
“A lot of it is just making sure you run up straight and keep your body in line with the goals, then the rest takes care of itself.
“Really, if you’re confident, you’re probably going to kick the goal, so we’re just trying to build that confidence in the girls at this point.”
If anyone knows a thing or two about slotting one through the sticks, it’s Tregenza.
The Peel Football and Netball League hall of famer nailed 1815 goals in his star-studded career, won back-to-back Bernie Naylor medals as the WAFL’s leading scorer with East Fremantle in the 1999 and 2000 seasons and was crowned the Peel Football League’s top goal kicker on eight consecutive occasions.
Now he’s hoping to pass his experience on to South Mandurah’s newest members, including the next generation of his own family with nieces Breeanna Wyllie and Taya Tregenza both lining up for the Falcons women.
Wyllie said the specialised training had been a huge benefit to her game.
“I’ve never played footy before so to have Rod showing us how it’s done has been a massive help for me,” she said.
“You can see the goal kicking getting better and better with each game.”
The Falcons women will look to use their newfound knowledge of the goals to cause an upset win when they take on Baldivis away from home this Saturday.
It’s a big game for both sides, with Baldivis currently sitting just a game clear of South Mandurah on the ladder.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
