The winter sporting season is already in full swing in the area, but one local club is still welcoming new recruits with open arms.
Numerous opportunities currently exist for players at the Greystanes Goannas, a Junior Australian Rules Football Club who play out of the Gipps Road Sporting Complex in Smithfield.
Despite the Junior AFL season being a few weeks old, the Goannas are in desperate need of female players aged between 12-16 to join their ranks.
Experience in Aussie Rules is not necessary, however if your child is involved with Little Athletics during the summer months, AFL could be a great option.
“I’m very biased but, personally, I think AFL is the best football code for young kids around,” Goannas Committee Member and Head Coach, Michael Bright told Parra News this week.
“There’s so many kids in our area that do Little Athletics over summer and AFL is probably the perfect sport to match that, particularly the running types and styles.”
Home and away matches are played on Sundays, with the regular season running until August followed by Finals for the top teams.
Training sessions are held on Wednesday evenings and late Friday afternoons.
Bright said players that sign up to his club won’t just get a game of footy each week, but an important lesson in life also.
“At the Goannas we tend to focus on the person first. We believe if we get the person right, the footballer will come second,” he said.
“The three core values of our club is culture, community and career, and a good person makes up all of those, not just a good footballer.
“So, what we try to do is arm our players with the life skills that will give them the confidence and inspiration to want to go out and do something outstanding with their life.”
At a typical Goannas training session, you might hear a motivational speech from someone high up in the AFL world or you might partake in a yoga session to help clear the mind – just about everything is on offer to players at one of the largest and most successful clubs in the competition.
“We try and roll different people in each week, so it’s not always the same voice the players are hearing,” Bright said.
“We’ll do yoga sessions, physios will come down and we even had Nick Davis from the Sydney Swans out recently to chat with the groups.”
Anyone interested in joining the Greystanes Goannas this season is encouraged to get in touch with the club as soon as possible. Visit http://www.gogoannas.com.au.
Troy Dodds is Parra News' Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.