Colts take aim at another title

After winning the Great Southern Colts carnival last year, the Great Southern Football League colts side is confident they can take out back-to-back titles this weekend at Lake Grace.

League colts coach Phil Gilbert said his team of 25 would play at the carnival and have enough experience to give it a real shake.

“We are going up there with high expectations,” he said.

“But we are not going up over-confident, if we play the best footy we can play, it gives us a good chance of taking it off.”

Ladder leaders in the GSFL colts competition, Royals will be represented by nine players while fierce rivals Railways which sit second on the ladder have eight players who have been selected.

Mt Baker and Albany have just one player selected each while North Albany and Denmark-Walpole each have three players who were chosen.

Last year’s Landmark All Star Michael McGlade will co-captain the team with Tigers midfielder Zane Marwick.

Lions duo Sam Baddeley and Brenden Abbott and Kangas defender Brent Clarke are also handy inclusions. Sharks star Michael Bennell is the most notable name missing from the team while Lion Jake Byrne will also miss the carnival due to a shoulder injury.

Tom Palfrey, Ben Higgs and Abbott have all overcome injury concerns and are down to make the trip.

“We have a very experienced squad, 23 of the 25 are playing league footy at the moment,” Gilbert said.

“We are a pretty flexible side and hopefully we can get first use of the footy and put the opposition under pressure.”

The colts coach said he believed the combination of Baddeley and Tye Rowe in the ruck, alongside Marwick and McGlade in the midfield, would be a vital aspect of the team’s winning chances.

The GSFL will face Upper Great Southern at 11am on Saturday in their first match.

If the GSFL colts win they will face the victor of a Peel and Wheatbelt Falcons showdown earlier that day, while a loss could see them up against the loser of that Peel versus Wheatbelt match, with the grand final scheduled for 1pm on Sunday.

GSFL’s final training run will be held tonight at Railways, at 6pm.

cameron.newbold@albanyadvertiser.com