The Tamworth Under 18s Girls could not have drawn a more difficult start to this weekend's Hockey NSW State Championships, with a clash against Goulburn set for the first round.
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Against Goulburn, which boasts several state representatives, Tamworth coach Helen Willis said her girls cannot falter during the opening game in Armidale.
"Our first game will be a good test, they've got some pretty top-end players," Willis said.
"We're going to have to compete for the full four quarters, we won't be able to drop away at all. And we're going to have to stick to our game plan, big time, and make sure that we trust each other and what the game plan is."
With the prospect of a first-up clash against the Goulburn juggernaut is looming, Willis has full confidence in her side and their preparation.
The Tamworth players have trained diligently in recent weeks, and have even taken to the pitch against the local Under 15s Boys team for some competitive match practice, "just so we can start sorting out our structure and playing patterns," Willis said.
This preparation has left the team confident, but there are nonetheless some nerves among the group, which the coach said is "always a good thing".
"You can feed off that, and start to get a bit of confidence when you're playing together," Willis said.
Though the first game is expected to be a serious challenge, Willis believes the Tamworth team has what it takes to perform well at the tournament.
To get the best out of themselves, she said the girls will need to gel quickly.
"It's going to take a team effort," Willis said.
"We've got varying experience levels across the field. For some girls, this is their first time in a rep team, and then we've got girls at the other end that have represented at state level before.
"It's pretty exciting, and I think if we can work together as a team, that's the main thing."
The competition will also mark the first instance in several years that Tamworth will field two teams at a representative competition.
The state championships will run from this Friday to Sunday at the University of New England.
The Tamworth Division One team will play Goulburn and North West Sydney on day one, and Newcastle and Parkes on day two, before the finals start on day three.
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