Images: Rachel Bach
Coach: Vincenzo Ierardo
2016 finish: 4th (grand final defeat to Calder United)
Summary: A new consortium, Galaxy based their season on a strong defence. Finishing fourth on the ladder, a dream run in the finals led to a grand final appearance for Vinnie Ierardo’s which ended in heartbreak despite a spirited showing.
Ins: Akeisha Sandhu (Senior NTC), Jasmine Arezzolo (Senior NTC), Coby McInerney (Senior NTC), Leigh Gray (Heidelberg United)
Outs: Katie Neville (Heidelberg United), Sky Jensen (Heidelberg United)
Re-signed: Jess Tay, Annabel Martin, Laura Spiranovic, Emanuella Fierro (promoted), Britt Elsen, Amelia Spiranovic, Aneta Komijat, Kelsey Quinn, Melissa Taranto, Adriana Taranto, Whitney Knight, Kariah White, Caitlin Pickett, Emily Kenshole, Sadie Murphy, Lulu Al-Huneidi
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Player Q&A: Jess Tay
How’s pre-season going? Where have you been with the team?
Pre-season has gone very well. We have been consistently training since November and personally I feel very prepared both physically and mentally going into the season. Like the majority of clubs, we unfortunately haven’t had the W-league players training with us until a week ago, but the girls that have been at training have been working hard and will definitely challenge the returning players for starting positions.
We had a good pre-season camp in Torquay over last weekend where we played a few friendly matches against local teams and did team bonding exercises and goal setting for the year. It was definitely a great weekend to get to know each other and start the season on the same page.
What have the club’s pre-season results been?
Although many teams had a lot of players out, we have won all of our pre-season matches and it was a good opportunity to get fitness back into the girls and give fringe players the opportunity to contest for starting positions. The results for the games have been 1-0 vs. Southern, 1-0 vs. Alamein, 2-0 vs. South Melbourne, 8-0 vs. Ballarat and 3-2 vs. Geelong United representative team.
How are the new signings settling in?
Very well! Coby McInerney, Akeisha Sandhu and Jasmine Arezzolo have come in from NTC and have seamlessly settled in to our style of play, joining ex-NTC players like Annabel Martin and Adriana Taranto. Leigh Gray was also a big signing for us and she definitely adds a good value off the pitch as well as on. All the signings have really embraced the club culture at Galaxy and what we are about.
Who are the Galaxy players to watch in 2017 (new or existing) and why?
I think without a doubt Leigh Gray is one of the headline signings for us. She has been unstoppable when she has played at Heidelberg and I’m hoping she can continue her good form at Galaxy. Other players that should definitely be on the radar are Kariah (Squirt) White and Caitlin Pickett, both of these girls had a stellar campaign in 2016 and have earned their recognition at W-league level after the season. It will be good to have them back at Galaxy this season and bring their experience to the team.
Who are the some of the bigger characters off the pitch and why?
Annabel Martin… Do i need to say any more? I don’t think I’ll meet anyone else like her, she can lift the mood in a room, she’s our co-captain, and her fashion sense is pretty amazing too. Leigh Gray… again… We went out to play laser tag as a team during our camp, and next minute she has her entire face covered in camouflage paint… who even does that?
How has Vinnie Ierardo been preparing the squad?
Vinnie has been very methodical in his preparation. We have played a good amount of pre-season matches where we have tried players in different positions and focused on particular areas of our game that we want to improve upon this season. The training sessions have incorporated a good balance of fitness/conditioning, tactics and ball play. This is also the first season that we have incorporated weekly strength and conditioning sessions, ensuring that our bodies will be able to last the 27 rounds this season.
Which team/player are you most looking forward to facing this year?
A lot of the talk has been about South Melbourne this year. They have picked up a lot of good signings and were a very quality team during the final WPL season. They will definitely be a tough team to beat and I’m looking forward to coming up against them.
Which opposition club(s) have impressed you most in pre-season?
Although we did not play against them, Calder have been looking pretty good this season. They have retained the majority of their squad from last season’s campaign, and have picked up a few good signings to add more depth into their squad. After their 7-1 win over Heidelberg last weekend, they will definitely be a tough team to knock off.
What are the expectations/objectives in 2017?
To be honest, I think that we all surprised ourselves with the success of Galaxy last season. Especially as we were a brand new team, we had no real expectations of what we could achieve. After the bar that we set last season, we definitely want to go one better and win the premiership. Obviously there a lot things that we need to do in between, but we are determined to win the league and trophy at the end of the season… and go for the treble to while we are at it.
What’s one headline we may see about Galaxy this season?
Caitlin Pickett – she is a local talent and a real success story in the Geelong community. She had a breakout season last year and was scoring important goals in important games. She has only gotten better during pre-season and will definitely be making headlines this year… multiple times.