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Central Victoria Football League Women's newest team has already found success ahead of the 2022 season.
The Castlemaine Magpies triumphed by winning the atWork Australia pre-season cup final against Echuca, final scores 3.3 (21) over 1.1 (7)
The victory marked the team's first time playing together in a game-day setting.
The format for the competition saw each team play five games with 10-minute halves - which senior women's coach Tiahna Cochrane said provided the perfect opportunity to test positions and tactics.
"The round-robin format of the cup allowed us to experiment and to work with the skills of each player," Cochrane said.
"The short games were the perfect way to see the dynamic of the playing group in action, and we were pleased to see it evolve over the course of the day."
The Magpies played four rounds in hot conditions and remained undefeated heading into the final against Echuca FNC.
The team excelled all day with strong performances from playing-coach Cochrane, Meg Ginnivan, Taylah Sartori, Chloe Butcher and Emily Cooper and Emma Pedretti.
Marks from Meg Tong, Lily McNair and Ella Cochrane were crucial and paved the way to the team's strong forward-line which featured Shelby Knoll who kicked eleven goals throughout the tournament.
Magpies' defensive efforts were bolstered by Meg Tong, Antoinette Sampson, Katie Petrusma and Michelle Barkla supported by the versatility of players Elise Tolley, Britney Oliver, Mya Meemusor, Dakota Steele and Chloe Drew.
"I am extremely proud of the team's performance, their drive and their sportsmanship," Cochrane said.
"They held off some very competitive sides in challenging conditions and we were able to see exactly where their individual talents lie. This will be crucial heading into our first CVFLW game against Kyneton in April."
Assistant Coach Jordan Cochrane said "there are some things we will be focused on improving over the next few weeks but we know we'll be ready come round one".
CFNC Women's Football Operations Manager, Georgia Banks, was elated by the win which she credited to a "mix of talent across the group and focus on team bonding and culture from the outset".
"As a new team we've really tried hard throughout preseason to establish good culture and create a fun environment for the players where they feel supported," Banks said.
"We feel lucky to have such a diverse playing group and our performance on Sunday more than demonstrates the trust and confidence the girls have in each other both on and off the field.
"It was so exciting to see how their on-field success strengthened their bond game-on-game and we can't wait to see how they go this season."
Sport news:
Magpies were thrilled with the efforts of several junior players in Drew, Dakota Steele and Chloe Butcher for their phenomenal efforts on the day and Sophie Dunn for her endless assistance.
The Castlemaine senior women will continue to welcome new players of all experience levels to the side and invites anyone interested to contact Georgia on 0438 849 365 or come down to training at Camp Reserve from 6pm on Monday and Wednesday nights.
CFNC invites all community members to come and watch their first historic match against Kyneton on Saturday 9 April at Camp Reserve, Castlemaine.
-With Georgia Banks
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