Unlike the pretty boy bands of the late 80s and early 90s, new kids on the block Coastal Breakers are likely to expand upon their initial success in WA’s Gaelic football league. The Breakers are poised to take a run at league leaders Finbarrs and Greenwood in the second half of the season.
Twins Ange and Jay Williamson started the club after playing for the Morley Gaels and noting a real need for a sixth team in the competition to fill in the competition and eliminate byes. As Club President Jay Williamson told OUTinPerth, ‘Ange and I have loads of mates who play sports and we wanted to get together a group of girls who were all friends and try to introduce people from other parts of the sporting community into a new sport that we think is fantastic.’
For those not familiar with the sport, Gaelic football is like a combination of AFL, soccer and basketball. It’s played with a round ball, and players can kick it, header or handball it. Points are scored by kicking into a soccer-style goal for 3 points, or over the crossbar for 1 point. As there is no tackling and no marking, the game is free running, or as the Breakers defender Holly Brown explained, ‘I had a friend come down and comment the other day that she’s never seen a sport where you run so much and touch the ball so little. And that’s Gaelic – that’s it to a T for me.’
For Breakers player and coach Ange Williamson starting the club ‘was fairly difficult administratively… So it was a late start, and we didn’t actually start training until 2 weeks before the first game. We only had 3 players who actually knew how to play the game, the rest were all new. Our first game was really hard. We got thrashed, but we saw a lot of potential.’
Though the Breakers began as a team of rookies, save the Williamson twins and former national squad member Kez, they have been quick to earn their stripes. After a couple of early losses the club scored its first win against the twins’ old team Morley. For many of the Breakers the Morley win was a season highlight, and Forward Kris Kreppold said, ‘I ended up pretty sore after that game, but it was worth it!’
The win has proven to be just the first of many. Currently, 4-3 in the league, the Breakers are fighting to steal into the second spot behind the dominant side in the league over the last few years, Greenwood. In their last match, the Breakers defeated the league’s number two side Finbarrs.
Many on the team credit the Breakers’ success to the close-knit nature of the team. Club member Kez joked, ‘We are a bunch of pissheads’, while Gaelic newcomer Alexis McLeod quipped, I’ve only started socializing with them in the last 2 weeks and I’m still trying to recover!’
With a few wins under their belt, the club is hungry for more wins and anticipating more victory celebrations. Club President Jay Williamson has already set her sights on the post-season, ‘We are definitely aiming to make finals. I would like to give Greenwood a run for their money.’
The Breakers welcome interested players to come and train or have a game at any point in the season. There is no experience necessary with Coach Ange Williamson promising, ‘There is heaps of room for beginners. Everyone supports one another because we are all beginners and we are all learning together, including me as coach.’
The Coastal Breakers train on Thursday nights at 6.30 at Grenville Reserve (corner of Cape and Stoneham St in Tuart Hill), which happens to be right near The Paddington Ale House – their primary sponsor. Games are at 2.30 on Sundays at Collier Reserve in Como. If interested in joining the club, contact Jay on 0415450367 or email jacqualine.williamson@asgardwealthsolutions.com.au.
