Albany Sharks to make inaugural finals appearance against Denmark-Walpole in exciting elimination final

Star duo Brett Peake and Morgan Davies will be among a host of inclusions for the Albany Sharks in their historic first finals appearance in the Great Southern Football League on Sunday. The Sharks formed in 2008 and endured a number of tough years before qualifying for finals in the league competition for the first time after their victory against Mt Barker in round 14. They elected to manage of host of regular players in the final round last week but appear set to be at full strength for their elimination first semifinal with Denmark-Walpole at McLean Park on Sunday. The Sharks could welcome back as many as eight players for the blockbuster final, headlined by the inclusion of ex-AFL player and the competition’s leading goal kicker Peake and former WAFL midfielder Davies. That pair will be prominent for the Sharks in their bid to create more history and advance to the preliminary final. Ruckman Dane Holdman, captain Jake Louthean, Jack Adams and Sam Christo along with young guns Max Baker and Mitch Collier will also return according to Sharks coach Jamie Ramm. “I think we will be at full strength and all those players will come back in,” he said. “It will be a pretty good team. “It’s exciting for the club, we have never been in this position before and its something different.” The Sharks have won two of their encounters with the Magpies this season but last year’s grand finalists thumped them by 54 points at the same ground in round six. “We want to play without lapses, we have to play a full game if we want to win,” Ramm said. “At the start of the year we were playing one quarter, now we are up to three and hopefully we can put a full game together this weekend. “We have beaten them at home twice but our next challenge is to beat them on their home ground.” The Magpies’ form leading up to the finals has been less than ideal, beaten by more than 80 points twice in the past fortnight. Star midfielder Jayden Woods will be a vital addition for the Magpies in a bid to keep their season alive at home. Dual Kleemann medallist Zane Marwick will need to pass a fitness test to return from a calf injury and Tyler Stone (leg) is also under an injury cloud; however, the news is more promising on key forward and former AFL player Ash McGrath. Magpies coach Alan Smallwood said they will wait until later in the week to make a decision on several players. “We will do a fitness test on Zane, Jayden and Tyler later in the week,” he said. “Ash is a good possibility to return but we need to confirm that later in the week also. “All if they are all fit and everyone is available, we will play them and have a strong team. “We had a strong win over them last time out here but a number of players were out for both sides. “Sharks will like their chances and all the talk is everyone likes Sharks so we don’t mind the underdog tag.” Jake Duperouzel will miss the clash for the Magpies after suffering concussion last week. GSFL FIRST SEMIFINAL FIXTURES Sunday at McLean Park Albany v Mt Barker - Sixteens at 9.10am Railways v North Albany - Colts at 10.45am Denmark-Walpole v Albany - Reserves at 12.30pm Denmark-Walpole v Albany - League at 2.30pm