AFF/NFF Conference 2016

Well, after a year off playing Div 4 with the mums and retirees, I've decided to push myself since we may be starting a family soon; I've signed up for the Metro Conference level team for this year. Probably I'm going to end up in the Reserves (which won't be much higher quality than the AFF Div 1 I played in 2012 and 2014) but that's still pretty nerve-wracking. Wish me luck.

Who is the key note speaker?

Probably the North Force captain? Kind of daunted by a 3 hour away trip, frankly.

changed to Northland FC I think - I'm pretty sure the North Force concept is struggling or dead, not sure if this Northland team in both the Women's Conference and Men's NRFL Div 2 is a cluster of Northland clubs still and just a different name or if it's now a standalone club - either way you will still have to trek north.

P.S. if you have not been before pray for the games to be at Kamo not Tikipunga!

Good luck!! Might come cover one of your games when you get settled in! ?

A 1-5 beating by Eastern Suburbs in a pre-season friendly tonight. I'm pretty sure they had at least one Prem player in there. I'm comfortable with the standard of play so far - my team make mistakes but they're GOOD QUALITY mistakes. For example, it's refreshing that they're not scared of backpassing to me.

Metro Conference Reserves 1 - 3 Ellerslie Conference Reserves

The learning curve even coming up from Division 1 is breathtaking. For example, the first team keeper is better than me even though she's actually a converted striker. But actually getting some keeper training (and learning from the first team keeper) is really what I need. Having a backline which is confident with backpasses and listens to my calls is refreshing, but also carries big responsibilities, i.e. I actually have to get to the ball.

Miscommunication between me and the centre back caused the first goal; scuffed clearance from a corner (partly my fault) the second; chipped in a one-on-one for the third. But the opposition keeper complimented me on the ones I saved, and I really think praise from the opposition means the most.

The first team were 1-0 up at half time. It's good to watch women who really know what they're doing.

First Team game ended up 2-1 to Metro - slightly off topic but the GK for the first team for Metro was amazing - she was only little but was awesome in the air and made some outstanding saves.

In the reserves game i thought you got your positioning/angles bang on - we broke the Metro line a few times but you were quite high in your box and forced our strikers to shoot earlier than they would have liked.  Both games resonably entertaining to watch.

Interesting, our coach suggested that I was staying a bit too high and inviting strikers to chip me.

Metro Conference Reserves 0 - 3 Eastern Suburbs Conference Reserves

Suburbs are too good for this league. They don't have a first team in the Conference but these guys will clearly be filling that next year. They're excellent in the air and their forwards seemed to have the ball on a bit of string, especially in the first half. Curiously I seem to know a lot of them from playing Gaelic football against them in the summer.

We played better in the second half, and I got a few high-fives for saving a free kick on the edge of the box which swerved around the defensive wall on the ground, to give you some indication of quality. I was quite amazed to get co-Player of the Day, apparently due to "showing leadership", i.e. shouting at my defenders a lot but not using swear words.

When I left during the first team's game, they were 3-0 up against Onehunga Sports and it wasn't even half time yet.

For those keeping track, we're 6th out of 9th in the Reserves, 4 points from 5 games. I think we were unlucky to have the current top 3 clubs as our first opponents. But I'm beginning to get a good relationship with my backline. It's very good getting specialist keeper training alongside the first team keeper, who is half a foot shorter than me but can jump around like goddamn Atom Ant.

The Conference team are 5th out of 10, 9 points from 6 games. They've had a couple of unfortunate red-card incidents in the last few games. On Sunday a girl got a yellow for bad tackling, ripped it out of the ref's hand and threw it on the ground, which got an instant upgrade. Not quite Jared Colligan taking to that guy with a broom handle or however it went, but dramatic enough.

Our first team put Hamilton Wanderers out of the Women's Knock-Out 4-3 in extra time. I was in Welly on unrelated business so I couldn't make it to the match, but it was quite amazing to be reading about a game involving the ladies I practice with on Twitter, as something which the broad masses might be interested in. Very interesting to note that Sammy scored a goal, as up until the week before last she was the first team's keeper (and completely embarrassed me as a half-talented hack in comparison).

Oh lookit, a match report. LOL, last game our own kit was late so we used the first team's kit and I was wearing that canary yellow outfit.