When the siren sounded on their 2019 campaign, the Pioneers record sat at four wins and five losses — although they did lose their last three matches.
Despite the disappointing ending, coach Shawn McCormick couldn’t have been happier.
‘‘The team improved remarkably over our time together,’’ he said.
‘‘As a coaching staff, we’re really pleased with how all of the players applied themselves.’’
Locals Charlotte McGillivray, Maddy Baldwin and Shae Oliver all earned selection prior to the beginning of the season, experiencing varying degrees of success.
Charlotte McGillivray
McCormick: ‘‘Charlotte is one of the younger girls in the program and we believe that she has a massive future. She started off in the futures team and her form just warranted selection in the NAB League side. We elected to play her keep in defence and she made massive strides. Most impressively, her kicking has come a long way since pre-season training. Charlotte is passionate about the game and is an avid student of the game.’’
Maddy Baldwin
McCormick: ‘‘Unfortunately, a knee injury meant Maddy wasn’t able to play any games. It’s frustrating because she would have been one of our starting midfielders. She has all the attributes to become an extremely good footballer at the highest level. We have extremely high hopes for her and we’re pleased that she continued to do her rehab with the club. Maddy is getting closer to a return to the field and we’re hoping to see her do really well in the VFLW for Richmond.’’
Shae Oliver
McCormick: ‘‘The coaching staff were really impressed by the rate of Shae’s development. Every week we asked her to play a role down back and it was rare that she ever let us down. One of the most pleasing aspects of her game, was the ability to learn new skills and techniques quickly. There was no doubting her importance to the team, especially when we got our best side out on the ground. As a bottom-aged player Shae is only going to continue to grow and we look forward to working with her again.’’
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