Challenge ahead for new South mentor

November 19 2008

Shepparton News

Decorated youth coach Ralph Giuliani may be in for his biggest coaching challenge yet as he takes on the Shepparton South women next season.

The 58-year-old has a swag of North Eastern Soccer League boys' premierships to his name but will step into the senior women's job next year.

He succeeds Sam Campi as South coach, Campi moving to club secretary after taking the Southerners to back-toback preliminary finals in 2006 and 2007.

South fell off the finals pace in a rebuilding season this year, finishing sixth with six wins, 14 points below fourth.

But an unbeaten premiership year for the club's junior girls has Giuliani confident the women will be competitive next season.

Helping out unofficially with the women's team in recent seasons, Giuliani last coached a team proper more than 15 years ago. "We put together a team to take on Deniliquin. They trained for about two and a half months, we went up there and had a good win too."

In more recent times Giuliani coached the South under-17 team to three straight premierships and he hopes to take most of that coaching philosophy to the women.

"There won't be any rocket science involved," he said.

"Sam (Campi) has done a great job and I want to continue what he's started."

South has six players in the Goulburn North East's under-15 girls team, Giuliani saying the young players in the summer program will be well prepared for senior action come winter.

"If young players play the right brand of soccer, maintaining possession, the physicality does not play a big part," he said.

"I've already been speaking to a number of the senior players in our team and we will have some maturity in the side next season. We're going to need at least five hard working midfielders in this league, work rate is a big thing all the players have to improve."

After a year out of soccer with injury, former captain Sally Sorbara is one addition for South next season.