Sandringham Dragons NAB League Girls Season Launch

BY NATHAN SEPE

After 272 days the girls are back and the desire to run this town has never been greater with Round 1 beginning this Saturday at 12pm.

The Dragons girls are back in business and ready to make a statement on the 2022 season, starting their premiership hunt down south in Tasmania where they will meet the Devils in a mouth-watering Round 1 prospect.

Whilst the fixture release has come at late notice (see below for full fixture), the hard work on the tracks begun early for this group, grinding out the pre-season to an extremely professional standard.

The season brings many new inclusions, most importantly a new head coach, Wayne Cripps, who brings a plethora of experience to the Dragons. Cripps has already begun to showcase his leadership abilities giving the girls a revitalised game plan heading into Round 1.

Each year the NAB League season brings about a new sense of excitement and hope, giving players the opportunity to immerse themselves in the professional football environment and make a statement for themselves in hope of being selected in the AFLW draft.

For the Dragons, look no further than the names of Hipwell, Coyne, Hurley, Sciberras, Jones and Mitchell. These girls make an impact on the game from the get go, definitely no strangers to putting their head over the ball.

Hipwell has become a commendable figure around the Dragons Den, showcasing that her footballing skills go hand in hand with her leadership. Hipwell is a threat around the contest and not afraid to lead the way to provide her teammates with fluent ball transition across the ground.

Hurley is here to impress this season, stamping her authority the past two seasons in the Dragons midfield and the Vic Metro Under 19 Representative team. Her attacking, evasive manner on the ball gives the Dragons the ultimate opportunity to execute effectively come game day.

Coyne is the silky mastermind behind the creative offensive transitions. Coyne is a player that can nag your opponent for four quarters and create tactical challenges around the stoppages, providing a unique dynamic midfielder ready to tackle any task presented to her.

The leadership group for the Dragons is fresh and revitalised. Jones, Mitchell, Hipwell, Sciberras and Coyne make up a spirited group of leaders seeking the ultimate goal of connectivity and sisterhood in the pursuance of a premiership, the first for the Dragons in NAB League Girls history.

These girls value hard work and commitment, exemplified in their first interview, going above and beyond to set the standards for a club that is the benchmark of metropolitan football in Victoria.

The standards are to be set early, facing a fiery Tasmania Devils side in Round 1. To watch the game live and free head to the NAB League app. Live score updates will be available across all socials (Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook)

A preseason of hard work, determination and perseverance has lead us here, Round 1. The girls have what it takes to go all the way and we want you with us on the journey.

The NAB League Girls full season fixture can be found here: https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2022/01/19/9ac572d2-4053-45ca-9d8c-dad5eb1c1a90/NAB-League-Girls-Fixture-2022-Version-2.pdf?_ga=2.118068353.949057401.1642757861-1669737430.1576288710