Perth Glory’s Adam Taggart and Scott Wootton named men’s co-captains, Isobel Dalton returns as women’s skipper

When Scott Wootton was thinking about joining Perth Glory, he reached out to captain Adam Taggart on Instagram to get an idea of the lay of the land.

Months after signing with Perth, Wootton will join Taggart in leading the Glory into battle this season.

The duo were unveiled on Wednesday as Perth’s co-captains for the upcoming men’s season, with Isobel Dalton also returning as women’s skipper for a second consecutive year.

Wootton, who made an instant impact on Glory upon his off-season arrival from Wellington Phoenix, revealed he reached out to Taggart when the centre-back first contemplated moving out west.

“I remember sending him an Instagram message, asking for a little bit of information on the club, making sure he was going to be here long-term and that was part of the reason (I signed),” he said.

“Tags is someone I’ve played against numerous times, scored a couple of unbelievable goals against Wellington when I played there.

“We played together in the all-star game a couple of seasons ago, and I knew he was a good player but just in training and in that game, and he was a level above.

“He’s a major part of why players want to come here, to play alongside him. Having that weapon and caliber of player in the squad is an exciting prospect when you’re looking at joining a club.”

Taggart has led Perth the past two seasons but said he was excited to have the centre-back as a co-captain.

“Woots is a great leader. It probably helps me out a little bit, leading from the back so I can lead from the front,” he said.

“In a big squad, I think it’s important to recognise some of the big leaders at the club and I think it will help me out a lot.”

Wootton said he was glad to have earned coach David Zdrilic’s trust so quickly.

“I’m very grateful to the gaffer for trusting me with this role alongside Tags. It’s good we have two players of similar ages, experiences, at opposite ends of the pitch,” he said.

“It can only bode well for the squad. I take the responsibility very seriously on behalf of the players.”

After back-to-back wooden spoon finishes for Perth, Taggart was confident this season would be a different affair and believed his side could mount a serious case for the top six.

“On paper, it’s a great squad, especially the starting 11. I can’t imagine too many other sides in the league that have a stronger one,” he said.

“I expect us to be right up there. It’s important we recognise last year and kick on from that.

“It’s a fresh start with a long off-season and pre-season so we’ve had a lot of time to get things right. We’ve got a big chance of being right up there.”

Dalton won the club’s Most Glorious Player in her first year as captain last season and said she was delighted to return.

“I wanted to stay at Perth as long as I could and I think sign a new contract here on staying until the end of the season is important to me,” she said.

“I love the place, and I love the club and the people around it. And the team that we’ve actually got this year, I think it could be something special.”