AT half time in last weekend's Nike Cup match against Casey Comets, Ballarat FC's women's players had their heads in their hands 4-0 against a top-flight opponent.
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The scoreline could have demoralised the team leading into the first round of the home-and-away season this weekend, but instead of going into their shells, the team which is 80 per cent made up of teenagers rolled up their socks and put in a second half befitting one with belief for a big season ahead.
"There are things to take out of the Casey game," coach Laura Brady said. "Yes, the first half was horrendous, but we did not play the way we should have and that's not us. We are a better team than that.
"We had to go into the second half knowing it was our final preparation heading into the season. We had two shots in the first five minutes. Every player could recognise how different things are when our intensity is there."
Brady said the squad was heading into the unknown Women's State League North West 1.
"We don't know a great deal about the competition, probably Moreland, Essendon and Springs Hills look the strength, and we've got Essendon and Springs Hill as our first two home games," she said.
"What I do know if that we'll probably be the fittest team out there. Because we're so young, the majority of our squad was still allowed to train because they were under 18.
"Of our starting 11, we've got five players are in year 10 at school and another few who are in year 11, only four players have finished school.
"So we were able to continue to do contact training all the way from September apart from those couple of lockdowns.
"We'll presume it should have some benefit for us, but it's difficult to know what the full impact will be."
Ballarat City FC Women's State League North-West 1 kick off their season away to Clifton Hill on Sunday.