A burning desire to turn the fate of their side will drive the Western Bulldogs women’s team on Sunday says captain Steph Chiocci.
Chiocci, who has been with the Bulldogs since 2013, hasn’t tasted success in the AFL fixture and says her side will be doing all they can to bring a win back to VU Whitten Oval.
“We were extremely close last time… We’re going to go into training today to try and implement some changes and hopefully it shows on Sunday but definitely very determined to get the win.”
The Bulldogs narrowly missed out in the first match in May, going down by eight points to the Demons in a physical contest.
Although both times have made adjustments to their side since then, Chiocci says nothing will change this time around.
“I’m sure it will be very physical. We’ve got fantastic midfielders who like to hunt the footy and work hard in there.
“It will be very hotly contested no doubt from the start.”
Despite having only spent a short space of time together ahead of the match, Chiocci says her side have quickly created a special culture.
“It makes it easier when you’ve met a lot of the girls before and played with a lot of the girls before.
“We’ve got a really unique culture here, the girls are really close friends as well as teammates and I think that really helps… It’s something special here and I think that will show on Sunday.”
In their short time at the Club, the women’s side spent team with the Bulldogs male side, taking part in a lunch and a leadership forum to discuss ideas and tactics.
“It was great to share lunch with them yesterday and pick their brains a little bit about footy and the footy club in general.
“We had some of the boys talk to us about their leadership experience which I found really beneficial and I’m sure the girls did too.”
