Battiato targets clinical edge ahead of Glen Waverley clash

As Essendon Royals Senior Women’s coach Vince Battiato reflects on the team’s performance last week against Brunswick Juventus, the focus has been on being more ruthless in front of goal.

“The focus in training has been a bit more ruthless,” Battiato said. “When we look back and analyse the Brunswick match, we had 24-6 shots and 15-2 shots on target. Their keeper made 15 saves, five of which are out of this world.

“When you think of it, we were good in front of goal; we just found the keeper on her day having a once-in-a-lifetime performance. We take heart that we created enough chances to win two games. We’ll continue to push that way, been a bit more on hitting the back of the net.”

Battiato remains cautious of the upcoming match against Glen Waverley, saying, “There are no easy games in VPLW, and Glen Waverley will have our complete and undivided respect.

“They were promoted from State 1 last year, had a winning team, and have some very decent players who can damage us. We won’t take any opponent lightly despite where they are in the table. Anyone can cause an upset.”

Looking ahead, Battiato is excited about the draw in the last 16 of the Nike Cup against Bayside United, an NPLW side from the division above the Royals.

“Any draw in the last 16 is exciting because you’re one game away from a quarter-final,” Battiato said.

“We’re thrilled to get what we see as a challenging draw. Any team from NPL is a challenging draw, but we’ll be ready. We’ve had a good chat with Loui, we organised a matchday that is good for us both.

“We’ll give them a solid hit-out, and we’ll throw everything at them. We’re both looking forward to this game, and it should be expected they’ll get our best.”

Cup tie details are still awaiting final confirmation and will be shared in due course.