Galwegians’ Blue Belles are almost ready to begin their 23/24 season with a showdown against Ballincollig at home in Crowley Park this Saturday at 17:00. The women are looking to continue their success from last year, progressing to two finals including victory in the AIL Women’s Plate Cup against Blackrock College back in April.
We reached out to the coaching staff for this season, David Clarke and Nicole Fowley, and talked about the upcoming season and the preparation undertaken ahead of their match on Saturday. With a mix of fresh faces keen to showcase their abilities and experienced veterans demonstrating the experience they have to offer, they are ready for the challenges that lay ahead this season.
“A new season, a lot of new faces and some old faces hopefully reappearing in the next weeks. The girls have put in a lot of conditioning work over the summer and are ready to hit the ground running this Saturday”.
Preparation for the season ahead is a key priority as the game of rugby continues to evolve year on year focusing on growing stronger as a unit. The coaching staff have used the pre-season to remodel their style of play and put themselves in a prime position to be contenders this year.
“We have adapted our style of play to meet our strengths. We have a lot of technical areas in our play and so our focus is going to be on consistency and execution”.
Galwegians have been very fortunate to have many players come up through the ranks who have gone to play in interprovincial rugby for Connacht and represent their country. This leaves another challenge for the team with the dilemma of player selection but David and Nicole understand their responsibilities to make sure they have a wealth of players for selection.
“It is going to be a demanding season for our players with representation going to Ireland camps and Interprovincial. It is our duty as coaches to ensure our systems are aligned across Galwegians women’s rugby so the next player can easily step up when required”.
Silverware won’t be the only ambition in sight for Galwegians’ women this season, with one eye toward the future and ensuring that the players have the groundwork they need to achieve their maximum performance.
“The goal for this season is to focus on long-term recruitment, develop our existing players, and give them the structures they need to play at the highest of levels”.
Reminder that the first match of the season is at home in Crowley Park on Saturday 16th September so be sure to come down to cheer on our Blue Belles!
