Captain Caitlin ready to shootdown the Jets

Cooper, in her second season as Mariners? captain, was pleased with her side?s showing against the Roar, and is positive about the Mariners? this weekend.
?We played a great match, knowing that they are the defending champions and possess a side full of International players,? commented Cooper.
?Against Newcastle Jets though, we will have moved on from the Roar loss, and we will be out to maintain our positive start to the season.?
The Jets sit in sixth-spot on the league ladder – five-points behind Central Coast though the Mariners? captain will ensure her side approaches the match with full concentration.
?The Jets provide us with a ?derby? match, and although they have started slowly in-terms of results, we cannot underestimate them.
?We do need a win, it is a short competition, and you cannot allow for too many slip-ups. The girls will be ready to go this weekend, knowing that the Jets deserve total respect going into the match.?
A strong point in this current Mariners? side has been the well-organised defensive displays that have put an end to the nightmares of W-League season 1 where the side constantly leaked goals. Cooper?s presence has paid huge dividends in this regard.
?We have worked on our defence and our results, and performances, do show this,? said Cooper.
?Playing alongside Rachael (Doyle) is great, we have built a really strong understanding and I can confidently say that our experience from the first season at the club has really helped in this second campaign.
?The addition of Jillian (Loyden) in goal too, who brings with her a wealth of experience, adds further confidence to our backline.?
In her second season as club captain, the first Mariners Womens? team captain in the club?s history is enjoying every moment.
?It is an honour for me to lead the Central Coast Mariners and I am really enjoying the leadership role, along with my football.
?This is really a career highlight for me, considering that this Mariners side (season one and two) is the first Mariners side in the history of the W-League. I look to get the best out of myself and all of the girls on the field, and we hope to produce something real special by the end of the season.?
The Mariners sit in second-spot after three Rounds of the competition, and with a short competition, no errors are permitted if Caitlin Cooper is to lead the group to reaching the goals set in pre-season.
?Our aim is to definitely to reach the finals; we will be disappointed with anything less. I do believe we have the squad, and confidence, to get to a Grand-Final and challenge for the title and that will obviously be our goal this season.
?However, anything less than reaching the Top-Four will be very disappointing.?
On a personal level Cooper?s immediate ambitions revolve around the Mariners, though the Matildas is certainly a huge point of interest for this 21-year-old defender.
?As all the girls strive for, I too have ambitions to do well with the Mariners this season and keep striving for a Matildas call-up in the future,? said Cooper.
?That is our goal, and we will all continue to buckle down and work hard to achieve this, though I would just love to one day play in the Matildas side, no doubt about that,? concluded Cooper.
The Central Coast Mariners meet the Newcastle Jets in the Westfield W-League ?F3 derby? this Saturday afternoon, 24 October 2009, at Wanderers Oval, with kick-off at 4.00 PM.
-By Joseph Carlucci