THE Western Border football interleague squad has been announced before the South East Zone carnival set down for June 9 at Robe, where the side will face the Mid South East and Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara leagues.
The WBFL side will again be coached by Steve Duldig and assisted by Heath Sims, with some of the best players in the league invited to attend to the first training session.
The squad includes a healthy mix of senior and Under 21 players, which promises to challenge for back-to-back titles this year, which Duldig said was a major focus.
“Our first focus is defending the title we won last year,” he said.
“I do not think any league has managed to do that up to this point.”
Looking through the list provides some joy for WBFL supporters, with the likes of Callum Currie and Will Macdonald – who both returned to Casterton Sandford this season – just two of the Cats invited.
Likewise East Gambier has a healthy representation.
Newcomer Alex Pfeiffer is no stranger to representative football, a former Zone player and will surely be an asset to the squad, as will the likes of Matt Willson and several other Bulldogs.
Millicent has a long list of top performers this season, with seven chosen to attend the training sessions.
That includes the always-impressive Tom Hutchesson and Hamish Gordon, who has had a big impact on the Saints success this season.
While North Gambier has struggled in the early part of the season, the likes of Nick Blachut and Brock Egan have been in good form and again will bolster the squad, along with the likes of South Gambier’s Brett O’Neill and Brayden Kain.
Finally for West Gambier, Tom Holmes gets an expected call up, along with the reliable and versatile Steve Wenman.
“I am pretty happy with how the squad came together again,” Duldig said.
“We have not lost a great deal from last year, which is always a good start.
“We wanted to try to keep that core group.
“We have managed to do that and add some quality players who have returned and new ones to the league.”
There are many Under 21s in the squad, with Tynan Shannon and Billy Galpin among the list from the Cats, with both in good form this season so far.
From East Giancarlo Cooper and Brad Rathjen have made the list, with Cooper showing some solid form this season, specifically in Round 1 where four final-quarter goals helped the Bulldogs to an impressive win over the Tigers.
Millicent boasts Sam Willis, Hamish Nitschke and Jonah Grimes, with Willis also proving his worth in front of the big sticks, with a recent bag of seven.
South’s youngsters are Ty Opie and Taylor Saffin, while West includes Tom Zeitz.
Duldig said he was pleased with the young stars, with the representative duties a good chance for them to showcase their skills at a higher level.
“Most of those guys picked themselves,” he said.
“We did not pick the squad then look to get some Under 21s in there – there is a good handful there who will make the team in their own right.
“There are some good kids running around the league at the moment, which is a credit to the clubs for the development.”
It is not compulsory to participate in the representative program, but in recent seasons the likes of O’Neill and several others have all suggested representative football is a good opportunity for players in the WBFL to taste the sport at the next level.
Duldig echoed those sentiments.
“I have loved interleague footy since I got my first opportunity a long time ago,” he said.
“I was lucky enough to play state country footy for two or three years.
“For those who are unsure, it betters their footy, it gives them experience to play with and against the best players in the Zone and the state as well, to see how those guys prepare and go about it, especially for the really young guys.
“It all starts with getting selected in the Western Border interleague squad.”
The Zone carnival provides the first chance to advance further, with selection in the Murray South East squad to follow, then eventually the state country side against Western Australia Country, should they prove themselves.
But Duldig said bigger things can come from representing the league.
“There are plenty of examples of guys getting noticed and going on to play SANFL, as we have seen with a couple of the young North guys this year,” he said.
“You have to play in the interleague carnival first, then be selected for Zone and then state country footy.
“There are a lot of young guys in this squad I think have the potential to go on to at least SANFL footy if that is what they want to do.”
Training will kick off at McDonald Park on Sunday May 27, then June 3, 5 and 7.
Western Border interleague initial squad
East Gambier: Jayden Eldridge, Mark Rumbelow, Matt Willson, Alex Pfeiffer, Kevin Thomson, Nick Lock, Matt Ferguson, Giancarlo Cooper U21, Brad Rathjen U21.
North Gambier: Brock Egan, Nick McInerney, Tim McInerney, Fraser Marshall, Nick Blachut, Sam Stafford, Jordan Hollitt, Mayson Ashby.
South Gambier: Brett O’Neill, David Boyd, Brayden Kain, Ty Opie U21, Taylor Saffin U21.
West Gambier: Steven Wenman, Tom Holmes, Lawrence Bradley-Brown, Tom Zeitz U21, Sam Zeitz.
Casterton Sandford: Callum Currie, Dylan Ayton, Tynan Shannon U21, Will Macdonald, Tom Sullivan, Josh Stephenson, Angus Cleary, Billy Galpin U21.
Millicent: Tom Hutchesson, Dylan Bromley, Hamish Gordon, Sam Willis U21, Hamish Nitschke U21, Jonah Grimes U21, Dylan Tinknell.
