By David Nagel
The West Gippsland Football Netball Competition (WGFNC) Team of the Year will once again be dripping with high-class talent with 50 players being nominated to battle it out for selection in this year’s team.
As always injuries have played a part in the selection of this year’s squad, with Phillip Island-gun Brendan Kimber – a walk-up start and captain of the team in the first three years of the competition – not qualifying after missing a five-game chunk through the middle stages of the season.
Even if there is a final round of the season and Kimber plays, he will still not qualify with nine of 12 games required to be in contention for this year’s squad.
Kimber’s Bulldog teammate Hayden Bruce is another to fall short of qualification, having missed four of 11 games, meaning the top-of-the-table Bulldogs will have to settle for five nominations this year.
Kimber was the only player in contention to make it a clean-sweep of selection, with Jason Wells and Luke Walker – the only others to have earned three-time selection – now plying their craft in other leagues.
If there is to be a final round of home and away competition this year, current squad members Ryan Quirk (Bunyip), Michael Wallace (Garfield), Ryan Bromley (Nar Nar Goon) and Tooradin-Dalmore pair, Dylan Wilson and Josh Mulheron will need to pull on the boots or be banished from this year’s squad.
The WGFNC is open to extending the current grand final date of Saturday, 11 September, back to Saturday, 18 September, meaning there is the possibility of squeezing in one more round of home-and-away football before the finals begin in earnest.
The Gazette consulted with all 12 WGFNC coaches before finalising this year’s squad, with some coaches even providing detailed analysis of players that had played impressively against them this year and provided difficult match ups.
The team will be picked with a game-day scenario in mind, providing the coach of this year’s team with the resources to play against, and lock down, some highly-skilled opposition.
With Phillip Island two numbers down this year, the squad has been dominated by the main challengers to the Bulldogs for this year’s crown.
Second-placed Inverloch-Kongwak leads all-comers with eight nominations this year, followed by Nar Nar Goon with seven and Tooradin-Dalmore with six.
The reaming two finalists, Cora Lynn and Garfield, are well represented with four and three players selected respectively.
The depth of big-men is really impressive this year with Clint McCaughan, Eamon Trigg, Josh Mulheron and Jackson Mockett set to battle it out for the coveted second-ruck position.
That is assuming of course that Phillip Island star cam Pedersen does resume his number-one role from 2019…you would think that’s a pretty sure bet!
Of the 50-man squad, only 16 have earned selection in the WGFNC Team of the Year since the competition began in 2017.
The contenders for coach of the Team of the Year have not been included in the squad, with that appointment to be made at the time of announcement of the team.
The WGFNC is currently considering its options in regards to the hosting of Presentation Night this year, with Covid-restrictions playing a huge role in what the overall format might look like.
Online presentations have not been ruled out, nor have the presentation of some major awards at the 2021 WGFNC Grand Final Day….just like the good old days!
Bunyip
Jeb McLeod – Mid Forward
Matt O’Halloran – Defender
Dylan Quirk – Midfield
Ryan Quirk – Defender
Cora Lynn
Jaxon Briggs – Midfield
Nathan Gardiner – Forward
Robbie Hill – Defender
Lochie Peluso – Defender
Dalyston
Brad Monson – Defender
Clay Tait – Midfield
Garfield
Daniel Helmore – Forward
Matt Rennie – Forward
Michael Wallace – Forward
Inverloch-Kongwak
Corey Casey – Mid Forward
Michael Eales – Defender
Tom Hams – Mid Forward
Shem Hawking – Midfield
Jack Hutchinson – Forward
Clinton McCaughan – Ruck Forward
Campbell McKenzie – Defender
Lewis Rankin – Defender
Kilcunda-Bass
Darcy Atkins – Mid Forward
Taylor Gibson – Forward
Jack Soroczynski – Mid Defender
Kooweerup
Mitch Cammarano – Midfield
Tim Miller – Defender
Nathan Voss – Forward
Korumburra Bena
Matthew Lello – Defender
Nar Nar Goon
Trent Armour – Mid Forward
Jake Blackwood – Defender
Ryan Bromley – Defender
Brendan Hermann – Mid Forward
Brad Homfray – Midfield
Troy McDermott – Forward
Eamon Trigg – Ruck Forward
Phillip Island
Max Blake – Forward
Cam Pedersen – Ruck Forward
Jason Tomada – Defender
Zak Vernon – Mid Forward
Jaymie Youle – Mid Forward
Tooradin-Dalmore
Andrew Dean – Forward
Adam Galea – Defender
Blake Grewar – Mid Forward
Josh Mulheron – Ruck Forward
Stewart Scanlon – Forward
Dylan Wilson – Defender
Warragul Industrials
Shane Brewster – Midfield
Anthony Bruhn – Forward
Michael Debenham – Mid Forward
Jackson Mockett – Ruck Forward
