THE SANFL has announced a 24-player South Australian Country squad to tackle Western Australia Country in Perth this Saturday with two Western Border players making the cut.
Millicent’s Clint Gallio and Kade Varcoe will fly the flag for the Western Border Football League in this weekend’s contest.
They will be joined by South East counterparts Campbell Watts, Rory Taggert and Matt Willson.
The game will be played at Optus Stadium as a curtain-raiser for the Fremantle v Sydney AFL clash.
SA Country, coached by Central District great and former Sturt mentor Rick Macgowan, is largely made up of the players selected in the Team of the Championships at the 2023 SA Country Championships, which were held in the Barossa last weekend.
“We are thrilled to have the great tradition of State Country football continue, in a rivalry which has continued to build since 2011,” SANFL Head of Community Football Shawn Ford said.
“This match is always a great showcase of SA and WA’s best regional players and a unique opportunity for them to play on the world-class Optus Stadium on an AFL match day.”
Featuring nine players from the victorious Eastern Zone line-up, SA also boasts plenty of players with SANFL experience.
Former Sturt ball magnet Sam Colquhoun – who also played in the AFL with Port Adelaide – heads the list while Eastern’s Josh Smithson and Southern’s Riley Clamp are currently members of the Crows’ SANFL squad.
Naracoorte forward Rory Taggert and ex Double-Blue Jack Penfold should provide plenty of bite around the ball while Caleb Edmead, who lined up with Central District in the SANFL, will be one to watch after winning the leading goal-kicker award at last weekend’s Country Championships.
The Croweaters’ squad will be trimmed to 23 before it makes the journey across the Nullarbor next week.
The squad is selected by an SA Country panel, led by Macgowan and his assistant coaches, with a pre-requisite for selection being participation in the Country Championships.
SA will be desperate to maintain its strong record against the Sandgropers, with the Croweaters boasting an impressive win/loss record of seven and two in head-to-head meetings since 2011.
The highly-anticipated rivalry between the regional Croweaters and Sandgropers was renewed last year after a two-year hiatus due to Covid.
Hosting WA at Adelaide Oval in 2022, South Australia recorded a comfortable 27-point win after leading at every change.
The Barry Stringer Medal will be awarded to SA’s best player in the match, with South East’s Matt Willson getting the nod last year.
The match will be live streamed for free on the SANFL Now website or the SANFL Now App.
2023 COUNTRY SQUAD
EASTERN: Daniel Perks (Tailem Bend); Josh Smithson (Southern Suns); Ben Salt (Hahndorf); Rory O’Driscoll (Southern Suns); Ben Moroney (Southern Suns); Jack Penfold (Imperials); Sam Butterworth (Barmera Monash); Zabien Parker-Boers (Hahndorf); Zac Gartery (Renmark).
CENTRAL: Sam Colquhoun (Tanunda); Caleb Edmead (Two Wells); Patrick White (South Gawler); Jakob Thomson (Two Wells); Flynn Pisani (South Gawler).
SOUTHERN: Riley Clamp (Strathalbyn); Sam Renney (Willunga); Troy Blackwell (Langhorne Creek).
SOUTH EAST: Clint Gallio (Millicent); Campbell Watts (Kingston); Rory Taggert (Naracoorte); Matt Willson (Naracoorte); Kade Varcoe (Millicent).
EYRE PENINSULA: Harlee Chandler (Western United); Zane Montgomerie (Lincoln South).
