The Parkes Cobras were building very nicely for a maiden finals campaign in the Western Premier League (WPL) last season before COVID cruelled their chances - but they have assembled an even better squad for 2022 according to coach Meaghan Kempson.
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Kempson and the Cobras recently announced the official 18 man squad on Facebook, and she said she is pumped for the upcoming season.
"I'm really excited, the squad is probably the most well-spread in terms of positioning and depth that we've ever had."
Adam Parker, a crucial cog in founding the Parkes Cobras, has unfortunately moved to Newcastle, is the only major out from the 2021 squad alongside striker Blake Medlyn, who is taking a break this year and will only play sporadically.
Star utility Ben Coultas is now a permanent member of the squad, while Quinn Hennock and Jacob Fredericks have come to the Cobras after the Western NSW FC side folded, and Kempson was particularly excited about the potential of Hennock - and made a huge call when talking about his skills.
"Quinn is an upcoming Player of the Tournament," she said.
"He's super talented and I honestly think Quinn is the next Duncan Cahill of the comp.
"He's an attacking midfielder and just lives and breathes football. He would play for Western NSW and then come down and watch all the local games and practicing free kicks and stuff in between matches.
"He's mature beyond his years. He asked me if he could join in when Western FC was canned cause of COVID last year for the last two or three weeks of the season and he came in and was already confident and communicating to the older players," enthused Kempson.
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Kempson was also very pleased to bring Peak Hill local Cameron Kopp to the Cobras, after he spent the first two years of the WPL playing for Macquarie United - though she managed to sneak in a backhanded compliment when talking about all the great things he'd bring to the club.
"He has played for NSW Country and is lightning quick - he was a state 100 metre runner despite lacking a little in height," she said, tongue firmly in cheek.
"Cameron has got that experience at elite level from a tactical standpoint, and I think a lot of the boys are excited to play with him.
"He has already genuinely earned their respect - in the first season he was in the Team of the Year so I think he has gained that respect by his actions.
"Having Parker as that strong level headed figure for the last two years has been really valuable, but I'm really excited about what the rest of the squad has to offer this season, and when Cameron is fit he'll slot straight into Parker's spot at center back," she said.
Kempson is also excited about the continual improvement of raw speedster Charlie Denham Jones.
"The most exciting thing in the trials was him compared to the other young people...he knew the physical standard coming in and was ready for the step up in speed and physicality," she said.
"It's amazing when you get your head right, the confidence of earning his poition has him looking really good."
The Cobras are in the process of finalising trial matches in the coming weeks, ahead of the season opener in Lithgow against Workies on April 2.
Parkes Cobras 2022 WPL squad
Alec Bateson, Daniel Clark, Haiden Clark, Ben Coultas, Charlie Denham-Jones, Ryan Dunn, Jacob Fredericks, Lachlan Hando, Quinn Hennock, Mitch Hutchings, Cameron Kopp, Jimmy Kuntze, Brent Morgan, Sean Noble, Shane Percy, Brent Tucker, Hayden Westcott, Jayden Wirth.
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