WITH the Limestone Coast Football League ready to kick off on July 18, many players from around the region have been left without a team to play in.
Only six clubs have signed up for the new competition, after the Western Border, Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara and Mid South Eastern leagues all cancelled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the wash-up many players who still want a kick have been left out in the cold.
That scenario provides the chance for other teams to bolster their ranks, with exemptions to allow players to transfer to another club for the short season and then return to their current club.
East Gambier has taken advantage of the opportunity, with former Bulldogs Kevin Thomson and Shem Balshaw rumoured to return to the “Kennel”.
Three other players from the KNTFL are also on the books.
East coach Matt Willson said the finer details were still to be ironed out, but he was keen to have all five play at McDonald Park this year.
“We will probably know more by the end of the week, but potentially Kev will come back,” he said.
“We are waiting to make sure that’s all okay at the other end with Port MacDonnell – they are lending us one of their players which is great.
“We are not sure what Shem is doing yet – the door is always open for Shem at East Gambier and whether he wants to use that this year we are not 100pc sure yet.
“It would be great to get him back, but we will wait and see what he wants to do.”
Willson said his two brothers – Sam Willson and Lachie Jones – would also venture to McDonald Park, along with Naracoorte Football Club captain Keenan Jacobs.
“My two brothers are coming and having a kick which is really exciting for me personally,” he said.
“Sam has played over 100 games at Naracoorte and has been their vice captain.
“Lachie has been at Lucindale and played interleague last year – he will come in and fill a role for us.
“We have also been lucky enough to get Keenan Jacobs who is a two-time best and fairest winner at Naracoorte.
“That experience will be really good for our group.”
The changes to the sport in the Limestone Coast due to the coronavirus has now provided a chance to pit the best teams from the three leagues against each other, with Kalangadoo, North Gambier and Mundulla all 2019 premiers in their respective leagues and all in the mix.
“I think it makes it really exciting coming up against sides we have not played before and sides that have proven to be successful over the last few years in the other two leagues,” Willson said.
“It is the best of the best, so it is a really good test for us to play some good footy against some quality footy sides.
“The clubs that are there are definitely the sides that have shown the most professionalism and have been thereabouts over the last five or six years, so that is really exciting for us to put ourselves up against the best in the region.”
Willson said he believes some other clubs have also recruited from the players who still want a game, which he said would make for an interesting competition.
“There will be some good footballers coming into the sides by the look of it, which should make a good competition,” Willson said.
“It gives us some more quality to come in – people who are passionate about their footy and want to be a part of our footy club.”
Willson described the new league as a “silver lining” on what has been a tough period.
He said to have the competition come together from the remnants of the three leagues in the region was a positive for the Limestone Coast.
“It is exciting to be able to combine all three leagues – whether it is for a year or longer we will see what happens,” Willson said.
“The quality of sides and the quality of football that will be played I think is exciting for the spectators as well.”
As for the Bulldogs’ preparation, Willson was also positive after the unknown of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It changes the whole dynamic when you know an exact time frame of what you are training for,” he said.
“To have the 18th of July as a date marked down and get stuck into training with a fair bit of purpose certainly changes the feeling.
“We are just keen to play footy and we have maintained that the whole time.
“We were always keen to play – whatever it looked like, we were going to be there with our hands up.
“It is pretty exciting.”
