THE Golden Rivers Football League’s 51-player senior interleague squad will train as a group for the first time on Sunday.
The league announced on Tuesday its initial squad for next month’s AFL Victoria Community Championships match against Kyabram and District at Tallygaroopna on Saturday, May 21.
To be coached by Ultima coach, Jack O’Rourke, the team includes 10 players from the two-time reigning premiers, with Macorna and Nullawil having eight players each in the side.
Ultima duo, Tom Bull and Kyle Symons, and Nullawil pair Scott Mathiske and Daniel Watts are in line for their third successive appearance in the competition.
Former AFL-listed players Jackson Ferguson (Hay) and Brett O’Hanlon (Macorna) will provide added experience against a league team that defeated the GRFL’s 2014 opponents, Mininera and District by 95 points in last year’s championship encounter.
Four of the competition’s eight senior coaches also feature in the squad – Simon Bunyan (Hay), Paul Grayling (Wandella), Mathiske (Nullawil) and Wayne Mitrovic (Macorna), who coached the GRFL in 2014 and last year.
The squad will train on Sunday at Moulamein, with the league stipulating that attendance will be compulsory for all named players.
Subsequent sessions will occur on Sunday, May 8 at Murrabit and Thursday, May 19 at Wandella prior to the presentation of guernseys to the selected 22-player side.
