WAFLW: Skipper’s influence felt as Lions dare to dream

For Subiaco’s WAFLW captain Tarni Golisano, belief has never been short for the Lions.

It was there in the narrow one-point loss to Peel Thunder in round one.

After round 10’s loss to Claremont, despite the team having just two wins from eight games, the feeling still remained.

Now Subiaco are one win away from a remarkable finals berth, but the belief has always been held behind closed doors according to Golisano.

“The senior girls who've been around the last couple of years, we've all got very similar goals and aspirations for the group,” she said.

“The new girls coming in, most of them have bought into that.

“They know what we want to achieve, and are helping us do that in the latter half of the season.”

The Lions were challenged early in the year with injuries and COVID-19, with the team unable to get the same group of players consistently out on the park.

A senior member of the squad for a number of years, Golisano said part of her role as a leader was to inspire the team to improve.

“In the first half of the season, the results weren’t coming and you do start to panic a bit and think of what else I can do as a leader,” she said.

“I just kept encouraging the girls to continue working on the things that we needed to work on and being strong about our discipline.

“I’m really proud of the girls and how they’ve responded to some of the tough conversations around where we want to be.”

Golisano also credited head coach Michael Farmer for Subiaco’s return to form, saying he’s been the perfect person for the job.

“He’s so knowledgeable, and the amount of time and effort he puts into us is really outstanding,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot to achieve together and he looks after everyone and treats us like a family.”

As the last month of football has shown, consistency has been the key for Subiaco, who have stormed back into contention with four wins from five matches to sit outside of the top four on percentage.

It’s no coincidence the side’s good fortune has coincided with the skipper’s own form, where she’s gone to another level.

In her last four matches, Golisano has averaged nearly 28 disposals and seven tackles per game, including a season-high 29 touches and 15 tackles against West Perth in round 14.

The former AFLW Docker said peace of mind had helped her get to her best.

“I think in the past, after being delisted from Fremantle, I put a lot of pressure on myself to try and get back to that level,” she said.

“Now being a little bit older with a different mindset, I'm just out there having fun and really enjoying my footy with some of my best mates.

“I'm just out there to do the best for the team.”

While she’s happy with her football at the Lions, the 25-year-old said she’d love to be a part of the AFLW system again, saying she’d take it with both hands.

As for the WAFLW competition, she said the level has grown exponentially, and that it’s exciting to see junior clubs getting girls involved at a young age so they may one day represent the maroon and gold.

Subiaco has been renowned for their hunger for success, a mindset the Women’s side are drawing from in an effort to form their own identity within the club.

“We’re a team who have very similar goals and we’ve set really high expectations over the last couple of years,” she said.

“The club has done really well over the last couple of years to develop our culture and to make it a really inclusive, safe place.”

With the side equal with Swan Districts on points, and with the Swans having a bye this week, a win will be all the Lions need to get into the top four.

Subiaco has full belief they can storm into the top four with a win over Peel, especially after arguably their best win of the year last week against Claremont.

“We've really built that cohesion and we're working together really well, playing for one another,” Golisano said.

“Everyone's managing to play their roles and people are stepping up at a perfect time in the season.

“We're going to play with that little chip on our shoulder and know that if we do everything we can out there and play our brand of footy, we'll make it through.”