Badenoch got off to a strong start last weekend with a 3-0 win over Inverness. How pleased were you with that performance, and what positives can you take into Sunday’s game?

It felt great to get back to shinty at the weekend and we are all delighted to start the season well with a win. I was really happy with the individual and team performances on the day. The hard work we put into the preseason was shown on the pitch with everyone working hard from start to finish. The team also worked really well together and supported each other all over the pitch which was really good.

As defending champions, do you feel there’s extra pressure on Badenoch this season, or is it a challenge the squad embraces?

Being the 2024 league winners was a great way to end the season for us. I feel like it is something that will provide an extra challenge for our team to try and repeat. Everyone is looking forward to what we can do in the next season, and we always aim to improve as a team. Last year was a very closely contested league with a lot of challenging games, and we are expecting that this season will be the same. It is exciting to be going into a new league structure which gives us something new to aim towards as well.

Kinlochshiel had an impressive first season in the Mowi Premier League, finishing fourth. What kind of test are you expecting from them on Sunday?

Kinlochshiel are a very strong team which they demonstrated last year. We are expecting a challenging end to end game this weekend, similar to our previous fixtures. They’ve shown that they can be very dangerous in front of the goal, which is something we will need to try and limit.

Shiel will be playing their first game of the season this weekend. Do you think that gives them an advantage in freshness, or will your match sharpness from last week work in Badenoch’s favour?

I have no doubts that Kinlochshiel will have been working hard in the preseason phase so will be prepared for Sundays game. As always, we will take each game as it comes but hope that we can take the positives from our first game into the match.

Badenoch has been at the top of the women’s game for several years. What do you think is key to the team’s continued success?

A major element in our success is that all of our players that come along continue to do so because they enjoy playing shinty. We have a very close team which helps us to work together, and for each other, on the pitch. As a team we have been fortunate to have had such incredible input from different coaches and volunteers over the years, which has supported individual and team development.

Finally, how important will home support be at The Dell on Sunday, and what’s your message to Badenoch fans ahead of the game?

We would love to have a good support for our game on Sunday. Our second team are also playing at home, so it would be great to get support for both teams. It helps to encourage and motivate players on the pitch, and the support we get is appreciated by all players.