WAFLW: Golisano to captain new-look Lions

After suffering the heartbreak of missing finals for the first time in their short history, Subiaco’s WAFLW team is eyeing a fresh start, according to the skipper.

In what would be the Lions’ last game in 2022, they fell one straight kick short of playing finals, losing to Peel Thunder in round 17.

Captain Tarni Golisano said it was a disappointing result, but it has a silver lining.

“For the girls that played last year, it’s something that sits in the back of the mind,” she said.

“We don’t want to feel like that again, we don’t want to have to go through that, and we know that we’re a better team and a better club for that.

“That’s really driving us in our training, showing people that we are a finals team and we will be there this year.”

While it’s a new-look squad for the women’s side, Golisano being voted in as the leader for a third straight season is something familiar.

She said it’s an exciting time at the club.

“I feel really honoured that the group has identified me to be their leader again,” Golisano said.

“It’s really exciting to see what we can do this year.”

 The 26-year-old will have plenty of support as a leader, with defender Liana Burchell announced as vice-captain.

“Liana is an experienced player who I’ve played with the past three or four years,” Golisano said.

“Her voice and enthusiasm doesn’t go unnoticed, whether at games or at training.

“She’s going to be a valuable asset to our leadership group.”

Joining them in the leadership team is Hanna Dethlefsen, Claudia Langley, and Tess Lyons.

Meanwhile, Maddison Dodd and Madizen Wilkins have been included as the side’s emerging leaders.

Golisano said she’s confident in the future of the women’s side, based on the leaders that are emerging.

This year is the first season the WAFLW side has officially come under the Subiaco umbrella as part of the ‘one club’ model.

Having been part of both systems before and after the transition, Golisano said the experience she’s gained has been valuable.

“We had a training session with the men’s squad, and we got to fully merge to see how they train,” she said.

“It really highlights the standards they have within their program, and it brings us up to that speed.

“Hopefully we can get to some of their games and they can get to some of ours, and we can support each other.”

Subiaco’s preparation on the road to season 2023 involved travelling to Mandurah to take on the Thunder in a pre-season hit out over the weekend.

While the side went down by eight points, the midfielder said things are looking promising.

“We had a really good first half of footy, and there’s heaps of positives that are coming out of what we’re doing at the moment,” Golisano said.

“Everybody is on the same page and we’ve all got the same common goal.

“If we can put what we’re practising into a whole season, we’re looking good to hopefully make it all the way to the end.”

Round one of the WAFLW begins on Sunday March 19, when Subiaco takes on Swan Districts at Steel Blue Oval.