This year is shaping up as a big year in the W-League, the premiers womens domestic competition in Australia.
The competition has eight teams – Newcastle Jets, Brisbane Roar, Western Sydney Wanderers, Canberra United, Melbourne Victory, Perth Glory, Adelaide United and last year’s champions Sydney FC.
Sydney FC, known as the ‘Sky Blues’, are captained by Dani Brogan who is seen as a senior player of this tight, youthful outfit.
Ironically, she’s only 25 herself, but this is enough to be named as leader of the group.
Dani says it’s a little hard sometimes as she forgets how young the players are. A number of them have been playing at the elite level for years.
This includes Matilda’s Ellyse Perry and Caitlin Foord.
“Sometimes have to just take a step back and remember how young they are,” she said.
Intially, Dani is looking forward to getting back on the field. She’s been out for 12 months with an injury. She tore her ACL in her right knee 12 months ago, which required a full knee reconstruction.
After getting back to full fitness over the next few weeks she said she is hopeful of “leading all these guys to another championship” after a long 12 months on the sideline.
“I can’t wait to get the boots back on.”
The 12 months also brought a halt to Dani’s international career as a Matilda.
Her last matches for Australia were against the United States, and playings the American was hard even after Dani has been watching them for years.
“I never really knew how extreme Abby Wambach was and having to mark her,” she said.
She sees the Americans as phenomenal athletes. Dani finds the way they play the game is amazing and “is something that we have aspired to”.
She says to be able to play in front of 20,000 people on the American’s home soil was “an experience I will remember forever”.
Despite playing defence, Dani says these days you have to learn to play everywhere. Sydney emphasise good communication between their players, particularly with the goalkeepers and the rest of the team.
“Hopefully they are the ones who are guiding you on the field as well,” she said.
“So you generally have to watch what’s going on as well in front and help the players in front of you because obviously we can almost hear the same thing so there’s a lot of work to do.”
Dani says it is the hardest hardest pre-season she’s been involved in with different teams, like the Matildas being abroad. But she feels this is the best Sydney have looked in a pre- season, though she did exercise a word of caution.
“None of that obviously counts unless you perform at the games that matters. But I’ve got a pretty good feeling about this year.”
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