NTFAW rep coach Dean Smith shares lessons learned from tri-series

The women's side lost its tri-series games to the Southern and North-West leagues across the long weekend.

"I spoke to the team after the game and just said from those two games as an association and as coaches, I think we need to look at how we train these girls at club level," Smith said.

"The NTFA have also looked at whether or not there's some sort of a separate training throughout the year for those who are keen on rep-level footy. Whether or not there's a special training session set up for those guys more regularly.

"At club level, we need to make sure that our experienced players are getting an opportunity to train one drill or whatever it may be for a training session separately.

"Because you've got your first-year players and they don't understand some of the drills that you would like to do with the players with experience. And they would struggle to adapt to them until they get that experience.

"So just for one drill, maybe you put the experienced players and the players that are used to that intensity, through their paces at that level."

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Smith felt the intensity of the rep matches caught his players out as they weren't used to it.

"The NTFA has a big coaches day coming up soon so it'll be a discussion point we'll have about whether we recommend that we look at something outside of our normal trainings," he said.

"Or whether we just do something at club level, where clubs are aware that we do something to try and give these girls a little bit more of that intensity at training.

"So that doesn't mean train longer, it just means train sharper with a bit of high pressure.

"It could be four players just doing a bit of high-intensity stuff together while the rest of the group does a drill, it could be something as simple as that.

"I think as clubs, we've probably let them down a little bit and let them coast along because they're the top players in the league and we haven't really tested them enough."

He feels the NTFAW has enough talent.

"We're reasonably confident with our talent, it was just that intensity and identifying the momentum of the game," he said.

"So it's just that composure at that level. That was really the thing."

Smith spoke of the promising players in the under-20s representative side who are building their knowledge of the game.

"As these young girls come through, that's where it's at. They've been playing footy for longer, they understand the game better, they would understand those momentum changes in a game," he said.

Smith called for composure in the lead up to game two and was pleased with the response.

"The intensity was brilliant, the second game," he said.

"We were a little bit reactive against the South, a little bit slow to get going.

"I don't think the girls really adapted to the pressure quick enough on Saturday, but then Monday, that was right up there. In the third quarter they got away from us and we didn't identify that quick enough on the ground to just start to slow the tempo."

Injured captain Dearne Taylor didn't play on Monday.

"She's struggles with Achilles tendonitis. She has some weeks where she feels good and other weeks (not) but she pulled up pretty sore from Saturday. As the game went on, she had to come off a couple of times," Smith said.

"We knew there was going to be no way she'd be able to pull up after one day's rest."

The coach added stars Abbey Green (knee soreness) and Meg Radford (ankle) were also late withdrawals.

Smith was rapt with Old Scotch's Chloe Pitt, Scottsdale's Alex Hall and Old Launcestonians' Taylah Lehman who came in for game two.

The coach said he wasn't aware any serious injuries from Monday's clash.

Smith felt the group bought into the concept.

"It was a good experience and the girls seemed to really enjoy it," he said.

"The feedback was that they loved it and enjoyed the format this year and the way we structured it with training and everything.

"I just think it's something for us as coaches and the league to go away now and have a look and see how we can improve it for them."

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