SHARING in Rosewood United’s latest Over-30 grand final soccer success gave coach Kim Bennett a double boost.
She was proud of her premiership-winning team which beat Silkstone 2-0 after losing to the same side in the qualifying final two weeks earlier.
“We were ready,” Kim said, after celebrating her first grand final victory at the club.
“We knew what we had to do.
“We had a plan and the girls followed it beautifully. It was so good.”
Mount Marrow-based Kim had guided the Crusaders women’s open team to a premiership last season before the side bowed out in the finals.
This year, the Over-30 side she oversaw went one better, completing the premiership-grand final double.
“They [the players] were so happy. It was just the ultimate cap [way to finish the season],” she said.
“We did have a job this year to do better than last year and nailed it.”
Rosewood’s grand final goal scorers were Brianna Mellor and Caitlin Clappis.
The Over-30 victory was the Rosewood club’s third success of the day after the under-12 girls won 2-1 in extra time and the Crusaders’ under-13 boys shared the grand final title with Logan United.
Kim was delighted with the ongoing friendships being made at the club.
“People came along and they just melded into the team beautifully,” she said.
“We had less injuries, which was fantastic.
“The new ones that came along, the training worked for them. They developed as players as the season went on.”
The former QAS mentor will make a decision on her soccer coaching future after pursuing a major goal in her other sport, boxing.
Last month, she won a gold medal in her Golden Gloves division at the Gold Coast and is preparing for a three-day world tournament in the same city, next month.
Kim is fighting in the open women’s 56-57kg division, hoping to secure some bouts overseas if all goes well.
“That’s my main focus at the moment,” Kim said.
“I won’t think about coaching until I get over that.”
After a short break following her Golden Gloves win, Kim is stepping up preparations for her next challenge.
She is training seven to nine sessions a week at the Walloon-based Rebels Boxing Club, at All Styles gym at Bundamba and with a personal trainer.
“I’m very excited. It should be pretty good,” Kim said of her international challenge.
Rosewood soccer club officials capped off an outstanding season hosting last Saturday’s West Zone Country Carnival at Thagoona.
That came a week after club officials hosted all the Queensland Christian Soccer Association female grand finals at their Caledonian Park headquarters.
