VICTORIA will have a sea of new faces when it journeys to Hobart this weekend to play Tasmania in the State representative match.
Just four players in the final team – Port Melbourne captain John Baird, Collingwood captain Kris Pendlebury, North Ballarat’s Liston Trophy winner Myles Sewell and Williamstown’s Brett Goodes – have previously played for the VFL.
Sewell and Pendlebury are the sole survivors from the VFL’s last State match when it demolished the WAFL in Perth two years ago.
VFL Coach Gary Ayres said selection criteria for the squad was to have the best in-form players available as well as select players in the positions where they have perform well.
He added there had been an endeavour to have a spread of players across the competition included in the initial 32-member squad.
Nine of the 13 clubs are represented in the final squad of 23, with only Box Hill Hawks, Casey Scorpions, Coburg Tigers and Geelong not having a player selected.
Four club captains – Trent Shinners (Bendigo), Kris Pendlebury (Collingwood), John Baird (Port Melbourne), Ben Jolley (Williamstown) – are included.
Baird, two weeks shy of his 32nd birthday, is the oldest player while Adam Marcon, 19, is the youngest.
Baird, with 153 VFL games, boasts the most VFL experience while Kyle Martin and Leigh Osborne with just seven VFL games behind them in their first VFL seasons are the least experienced.
Frankston’s Martin, Osborne and North Ballarat’s Dean Towers all have under 10 VFL games experience.
Not surprisingly, ladder leader Port Melbourne provides the biggest representation of any club with eight players – John Baird, Billy Burstin, Chris Cain, Sam Dwyer, Dean Galea, Sam Pleming, Wayde Skipper and Shane Valenti
Ayres said the “totally VFL” look provided an opportunity to promote and develop players from within the competition.
“It just gives our competition a lot more credibility,” Ayres said.
“From the player’s point of view representing their State is something they have a lot of pride in. Obviously, they want to win and play their role within the team.
“Opportunities are less and less given what our game has on its plate on a weekly, monthly and yearly basis so the chance to represent your State is something that everyone involved really cherishes and embraces.”
Ayres noted the defeat by South Australia in 2008 was felt not only by those who were involved in the match, but by the entire competition.
He added that’s why the victory two year ago against West Australia at Leederville Oval, Perth was so significant for the competition. “It was a fillip the State needed,” Ayres said.
Ayres said the flow on effect from the State match is that it provided players an opportunity to showcase their talent on a national level and therefore expose them to the scrutiny of more AFL recruiting officers.
“The over-riding factor for us is to win and it’s a reward for players who have performed at a consistently high level in the VFL for the past season or two,” Ayres said.
The final squad of 22 plus an emergency was named at the sides final training session before flying out to Hobart on Friday.
Click HERE to hear an interview with Gary Ayres on SEN today.
Peter Jackson VFL Final Side
B
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18. Kyle HARTIGAN
Werribee Tigers
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24. Kris PENDLEBURY
Collingwood
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19. Liam HOY
North Ballarat
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HB
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13. Ben JOLLEY
Williamstown
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22. Sam PLEMING
Port Melbourne
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23. Brett GOODES
Williamstown
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C
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10. Dean TOWERS
North Ballarat
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7. Myles SEWELL
North Ballarat
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9. Myke COOK
Sandringham
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HF
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2. Sam DWYER
Port Melbourne
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28. Khan HARETUKU
Frankston
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20. Billy BURSTIN
Port Melbourne
|
F
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5. Ben ROSS Werribee Tigers
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25. Dean GALEA
Port Melbourne
|
1. Chris CAIN
Port Melbourne
|
R
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27. Wayde SKIPPER
Port Melbourne
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16. John BAIRD (C)
Port Melbourne
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8. Shane VALENTI
Port Melbourne
|
Int
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6. Kyle MARTIN
Frankston
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15. Leigh OSBORNE
Frankston
|
|
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11. Adam MARCON
Northern Blues
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26. Trent SHINNERS
Bendigo Gold
|
|
Emerg:
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14. Kane LAMBERT
Northern Blues
|
|
|
Well done to the umpires representing the VFL as well:
David Harris (Field Umpire), Jordan Andrews (Boundary Umpire) and Peter Balding (Goal Umpire)
View the final side in the Victorian jumpers below:
Last Modified on 25/05/2012 09:37