The Robertson Burrawang Rovers Soccer Club officially got their pre-season preparations underway with a win and a loss in the Jamberoo Mountain Cup on Saturday, April 3.
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The event began three years ago as a trial game between the Rovers and the Jamberoo Football Club, which they then decided to spice up by adding the competitive allure of a cup to be won.
This year, the Robertson Burrawang women's team prevailed 5-0, while their men lost 6-0.
Despite the one-sidedness of the results, Rovers president Damien Plain said both matches were actually very competitive.
"We were pretty happy with our performance, because it was a chance to try different combinations and we had different squads on at different times through the four quarters," Plain said.
"Even though the men got beat, they played pretty well. When we had our top team on the field, the game was far more even. When our third graders were playing, it was more difficult.
"Our women took their chances pretty well and Jamberoo didn't get that many, but they played well and matched up to us most of the time."
The Jamberoo Mountain Cup was then followed by last weekend's local pre-season tournaments which got underway.
The Rovers took part in the Liberale Cup (All Age Men 2), George Auld Cup (All Age Men 3), Noelene Munro Cup (All Age Women 1), and Chris Jacobs Cup (All Age Women 2) on April 10.
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These competitions featured various teams from across the Southern Highlands, with the second and final rounds to take place this coming weekend.
So far, the Rovers men are top of the ladder in Second Grade with three wins from three games, while they sit second in Third Grade with a win and two draws.
The women, meanwhile are top of the ladder in First Grade with two wins from two games, and last in Second Grade with one loss from their only match.
Plain has been pleased with what he's seen from the Rovers in their pre-season matches to date.
"The Cup competitions all kicked off on the weekend and we got some pretty good results," he said.
"It looks pretty good, we could always do with a couple more players. Both in the men and the women our numbers are fairly tight, but we're a little town so to get three men's teams and two women's teams is pretty good."
As the profile of women's soccer is on the rise throughout Australia, Plain is eager to see what the Robertson-Burrawang women can produce in the 2021 season.
"Our First Grade women have always been very competitive, and our Second Graders have always been pretty strong too," he said.
"It was a combination of the two teams that took on Jamberoo, I only had five First Grade girls and the rest were from our seconds team."
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