Hockey: Waratahs to hit off Tamworth women's first grade title defence against South United

For one they had lost a number of key players.

He also hadn't watched a lot of the women's competition.

"I didn't know the players and their capabilities, or even how they would respond to me," he said.

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Two titles later, on Sunday Wilson and the Tahs will begin their quest to win three Tamworth first grade premierships in-a-row for the first time in the club's history.

Wilson is feeling "optimistic" about the season.

While not quite to the extreme of when he took over, they have lost, or are set to lose, a few of their senior players.

"Hayley Lennon is going to Grafton and we're going to at some point during the year lose Lucy Hofman and Abby Schimann," Wilson said.

"It's going to be a different year to the last two years and we'll have to call on our depth."

It is something they have been trying to foster the last couple of years.

"I'm hoping the work we've done there will start to pay off a bit," Wilson said.

Lennon and Hofman especially will leave a big hole to fill. They have been a central part of the defensive line the last few years.

"Last year we started blooding Bella Cameron into those roles. The idea is we will shift her into one of those central roles," Wilson said.

Across the park they will have to shuffle things around.

"[But] With absence brings opportunity," he said.

"Girls that may not have got an opportunity last year, they certainly will get an opportunity this year."

Balancing that out, they will still have "that core of experience" in the likes of Katrina Rekunow, and Anita Collins and Madie Cryer- AKA the Cryer twins.

The latter are "very keen", Wilson said.

Juggling his coaching commitments with playing for Kiwis the last two years, Wilson's weekend focus will solely with Waratahs. He is only going to play masters, which is on Wednesday nights, this season.

With time commitments it was either play or coach, but the allure of three in-a-row enticed him to stick with the coaching.

They will be one of the first sides in action for the season facing South United in the first of the three first grade games at 10.30am.

The two sides met just last Sunday in what Wilson said was an "encouraging" hit out.

"We were using it as a selection. Because there's been a bit of turnover of personnel we really needed to asses where everyone was across the whole club," he said.

In the other first grade season openers, Olympians play Flames at 1.30pm with Tudor Wests matching up against Services at 3pm.

It will be a busy season for the women the return of a fourth grade competition this year. Four sides will contest that while 10 will line up in third grade.

The women's masters competition has also seen an increase in teams for what will be it's second year with all clubs set to field a team.

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