Netherlands: Scheerlinck wil dat OR zonder haar straks weer vijfde of zesde wordt

Three seasons ago, Lisa Scheerlinck (30) walked off the field, tears rolling down her cheeks. Oranje-Rood then relegated, after the play-outs, from the big league. Now her team is in the danger zone again, but this time it is different. ‘It’s not down to bad luck, it’s down to us.’ Meanwhile, she sees how the men’s team of Oranje-Rood presents purchase after purchase, while the women remain awfully quiet.

She has experienced almost everything at Oranje-Rood. In her fourteen seasons in Eindhoven, she wore out almost ten coaches, made the playoffs, played the play-offs, relegated and promoted. The routinier from Brabant can put the current eleventh place in perspective like no other. A place where they also finished three seasons ago. Then it went wrong after play-outs against Tilburg.

When we relegated three years ago, we were very unlucky. Things always went wrong in the last minutes,’ Scheerlinck begins. ‘At some point you just felt that coming. You thought: jesus, is it going to happen again? That creeps in. That season I walked off the field in a lot of pain every game,’ she says. But this season, she says, is different. ‘Then we really brought it on ourselves, not now. We just play nice, but we don’t finish.’

This season there is no bad luck. And for that reason in particular, she is confident of a good finish. ‘If we have to play playouts later, I’m sure we’re going to kill it,’ she continues. ‘Last time, we were also unlucky to have to play against Tilburg. With Maddie Hinch they had the best goalie in the world. That was another thing that disappointed,’ she says.

Again OR failed to kill

The fact that Oranje-Rood has trouble finishing off chances was also evident Sunday afternoon. During the basement clash with Huizen, Oranje-Rood had led the straggler to the slaughter in the last quarter, but there was no finish. ‘I think they took a ball off the line five times. That’s just sour. We got chances, got corner kicks. But we didn’t kill it. I’m glad we didn’t lose, but I would have liked to look up a little bit.’

During the 2021-2022 disaster season, Scheerlinck walked toward the locker rooms cursing and ranting on a weekly basis. By now, she is a lot calmer. She has faced such fires before. Recently, she had been playing so many games under high pressure. ‘I felt a lot of responsibility then. It did too much to me. I’m trying to let it go a little more now. It is so nice to be able to play in the big league. We are also really good enough for it. But the question is, is it fun to lose every week?’ Actually, she knows the answer. ‘I also played here for years that we finished fifth or sixth every year. That was much more fun. You win once, you lose once. Now you just never win. That sucks and is frustrating. Something really needs to happen.

Photo: Willem Vernes

The men are competing for the playoffs and therefore getting reinforcements. I do envy that sometimes and think it’s unfair. Of course you are a bit better if you have just a bit more quality. Lisa Scheerlinck

For example, attracting quality. As is happening with the men of Oranje-Rood. The current season has not yet reached its climax and the Eindhoven club has already announced three (!) foreign reinforcements for the new year, while the ladies are still awfully quiet. Something that frustrates Scheerlinck.

‘The men are just doing much better. They are competing for the playoffs and getting reinforcements. I sometimes envy that and find it unfair. Of course you are a bit better if you have just a bit more quality. But the disadvantage is that not so many people want to come to Eindhoven. Besides, we’re not that interesting because we’re 11th. That’s not exactly attractive. And foreigners … we don’t have the experience anyway that it has always brought what we want.’

Wanting to be fifth or sixth

‘If we want to be fifth or sixth again, something has to happen at our side too,’ she continues. But she knows the club is working in the background. ‘I have indicated here that we need to look at talent in the Promotion League. Preferably 25-, 26-year-olds who have some experience. I think that’s the most important thing. We have looked at talents for a very long time, but we are still a training club. You just see that all the good talents have left. Trijntje Beljaars, Freeke and Guusje Moes, Lisa Post, Yibbi Jansen… Everyone eventually leaves.’

Photo: Willem Vernes

Maybe I want to end it by playing playoffs. That secretly seems like a nice ending. But then win those, of course.

It is great how Scheerlinck, as the oldest member of the group, still works hard for the selection. Especially with the knowledge that she will hang up her stick in a few weeks. ‘I find it crazy to say I’m quitting and it makes me emotional.’ For a moment, tears appear in her eyes again. ‘It does something to me. Half my life I’ve been playing for this team. So saying goodbye is hard. But it’s also time for young girls to step up. And for me, it’s good to do other things. Managing my own time. No more having to be at the club at three o’clock on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Jogging from work to field hockey and back again,” she says.

A grin appears on her tear-stained face. ‘Maybe I’d like to end it by playing playoffs,’ she laughs. ‘That secretly seems like a nice ending. But then obviously win them,’ she assures.

Photo: Willem Vernes