THE Gunnedah Bulldogs will be aiming to enter an under-14 team into the AFL North West this season after the success of a come and try day on Saturday.
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A core group of players took to Wolseley Oval to get their first taste of the sport and to begin preparations for the season ahead.
Bulldogs men's coach Doug Meagher said the turnout left the club feeling confident it could field an under-14 team for the first time in its history.
"We had a terrific turnout of very capable under-14 footballers," Meagher said.
"Based on the quality of the junior footballers that have expressed an interest in playing for the Dogs in 2020, we will be entering an under 14 team in the competition this year.
"It was really pleasing to see 10 eager kids come and have a go on such short notice.
"There's some really talented kids there, which should make it a really enjoyable season."
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Meagher said establishing junior sides would lay a solid foundation for the club's future.
"The beauty of the under-14 competition is that it is mixed," he said.
"Therefore, it allows us to hopefully create a pathway that allows the juniors to feed into the senior men's and women's competitions.
"At this stage, we have Pat Hockey lined up to coach the side, which is a huge plus.
"He will have a couple of his kids playing in the side, but he also has a great knowledge of the game, as well as the health and fitness side of things."
The club will host weekly training sessions for the women's team and the under-14 team at Wolseley Oval on Saturday mornings.
"We're hoping scheduling the training runs on Saturday morning will allow people to come along and have a go, without interfering with their weekday schedules," Meagher said.
"The aim at this stage is to host the weekly sessions for the next month or so, which should allow us the chance to assess if we are able to field the women's and under-14 teams this season.
"We are pretty confident we are at the moment, but there is still a lot of work to do.
"If any juniors or women are interested in coming down a giving it a try, they are most certainly welcome."
Billy Jupp
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
Billy is a Senior Livestock Journalist for the Queensland Country Life based in Toowoomba. He has worked for a variety of different ACM mastheads during the past five years including the Namoi Valley Independent, Northern Daily Leader and The Land.
