Tara Murray
Becky Webster is hoping to back up a breakout season for Geelong in the upcoming AFLW season.
Webster, who is coming into her fourth season at the club, was a star for the Cats in their midfield last season and finished third in the club’s best and fairest.
Webster and the rest of the playing group returned to the track last week to start their pre-season.
“It has been great to see the girls and have a kick of the footy,” she said.
“We are so lucky to be able to train together and go out there and tackle.
“Everyone is pumped. It’s been a few weeks back now and everyone is looking great and very cohesive.”
“There’s been a few new girls who have added a new dimension.”
Being able to be around their teammates is a welcome relief for the side, with restrictions meaning they were limited what training they could do by themselves.
Webster was among the lucky ones who played in the club’s VFL side and was able to play football throughout much of the year.
The Cats made the grand final, but it was later cancelled due to the pandemic.
“It was good to have a kick and be able to play some VFL towards the back end of the season and finals,“ she said.
“It was good to get out there and have a kick. The AFLW season is quite short and it was good to get some extra games in.
“Not being able to play the grand final sucked, but I’m looking forward to seeing some of the VFL girls coming into the AFL season.”
The VFL games formed part of Webster’s focus on her fitness as she looks to take her game to the next level.
She said that was one of the main reasons for her development in the previous 12 months.
“Some more time in the midfield also helped,” she said.
“I was able to get my hands on the footy a bit more and help the team out. I was able to grow my fitness range.
“It’s something I’m looking to do this year. I want to be combative and still be able to get the fitness up and burst through the packs.”
As well as stepping up on the field, Webster will also take on more of a leadership role for the young team.
The 20-year-old said it was a bit different from being the youngest player.
“It’s been four seasons and it has been great seeing players coming through.
“It’s about setting standards about what it is like to play at Geelong and I want to be a great role model.”
Webster said the focus under new coach Dan Lowther was about working on fitness while building relationships.
The Cats finished the 2021 season with just one win and finished ahead of only Gold Coast.
“We will be getting lots of touches of the football and building on those relationships,“ Webster said.
“We’ll look to build over the next few weeks.“
