Waldie takes footy show on the road

Originally published in the Dubbo Photo News

Dubbo local Kaitlyn Waldie has clashed heads with some of the state’s best Australian rules football players at the AFLW Queanbeyan Cup last weekend.

As the game continues to grow across the western region, a western combine team playing under the Bathurst Giants name were sent to the inaugural competition.

A key player for the Dubbo Demons, Waldie was pleased to hit the ground running ahead of season 2022.

“I didn’t realise how old I’d gotten in the off season.

“There’s a big difference between what we do in training and actually playing a game, so it was a bit of a shock to the system,” said Waldie.

The Giants didn’t expect to see much success in the competition but came out ahead in one of their three first round matches.

“We were outclassed, really. I wouldn’t say there was a significant skill difference. The biggest difference between the teams was fitness, which looks like skill. When you have more people being able to run harder and faster, it makes them look more skilful.”

Despite horrendous conditions, causing the final day of competition to be scrapped, the underdog team came away with a win in their final game.

“It took me a few games to get settled, and where I was playing, in defence, was the biggest mix of players. It just took us a minute to settle and realise what each other were doing. By the end of the day, we could just communicate perfectly with each other, we had it covered,” said Waldie.

Central West Representative coach Mick Sloane lead the side, with Waldie saying his ability to coach women’s football is second to none.

“It was an exceptional competition and a really good learning curve. To play against people who are really well drilled in running plays and good strategic plays, it was fantastic.”

Dubbo Demons Women’s coach Peter Martinoli said it was a big thing to see players stepping up from the club.

“It’s a big step up from playing normal club footy. You’re playing against the best of the best with a lot of AFLW listed and contracted players, it’s not just a run of the mill competition by any means,” said Martinoli.

“It was an absolute pleasure to watch her play, she wasn’t playing in her ‘right’ team, but she did really slot in.

“It’s uplifting seeing that we have that talent within us to go up with not just the best in the Central West but in NSW.”

Central West AFL players have fewer opportunities to play outside of the league boundaries, with geographical isolation and the popularity of the sport contributing factors.

“Credit goes to Liz Kennedy, she sourced it out and got us involved in the carnival. As Central West players we’re normally very isolated and don’t get these kinds of opportunities to play outside our league,” said Waldie.

The competition was run by the Queanbeyan Tigers Australian Football Club and attracted 12 clubs from across regional NSW and the ACT.

The 2022 Central West AFL season will kick off in early May, with Dubbo Demons travelling to Tumbarumba for their annual friendly match in April.