With round 3 of the NPLW WA against Fremantle City kicking off on Sunday at Kingsway, we caught up with head coach Conrad McKelvie to get his thoughts on the game and how the team are going.
How do you feel going into this game after last weeks loss?
You always want to bounce back from a loss but this is another tough game. Both NTC and Freo are teams I've said will be competing for top 4 in a competitive league this season and they've shown they have the capability to get results over teams after making the Night Series GF against Freo. The most important thing for us is to correct some of the issues we had last week and have an improved performance. We created the chances to win the game last week BUT the overall performance put us under a lot of pressure and we conceded because of this.
Even though this will only be the 3rd round of the season, it already feels like a must-win for both teams. Do you agree?
The nature of the league has shown that most teams are competitive and taking points off each other with a number of upsets, so it's hard to call anything a must-win. Plus you get a chance to play everyone again, so generally, I would say it's only going to be a must-win in the second half of the season.
How has training gone this week and how has the squad reacted after Sunday?
Training has been good, a slight change of tack to improve our play and the girls have been working hard at it.
Any issues with our squad? Injuries? Absences?
We had injuries before the season started, it was a case of getting players back to form. A couple had hamstring injuries and we've been managing their return to the squad.
Any comments about Fremantle? What problems they pose, player(s) to watch for them?
Freo has already shown that they will be dangerous this season, they have kept a core of players and added Tash Rigby and Jamie-lee gale from Queens Park to make them more formidable. A pre-season 1-1 draw was had between the two teams so it will be an interesting contest.
Finally, Emily Dunn will play her 200th game on Sunday. Thoughts on her and what she brings to the squad?
Emily has been a mainstay of the squad for as long as I can remember. For a long time, she's been the get out of jail card for the team saving us on more than a few occasions. She continues to show the ability of a player who is a former W-league player though she keeps suggesting that her future lies in the forward line!
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