DARREN MONCRIEFF
Friday, July 15, 2011
REGIONAL pride is on the line this weekend as hundreds of footballers converge on Perth for the annual West Australian country championships, numerous Aboriginal footballers among them.
Twenty-one senior country league teams will contest four divisions in the four-day championships, run by the West Australian Country Football League, in the WA capital, with a touch over 100 country football clubs represented in A, B and C sections.
They will again be joined by a Colts division.
Sheldon Nelly, from Geraldton in the State's Mid-West, will be keen to see his league, the Great Northern Football League, remain in the A division with a solid showing.
Nelly (pictured) was judged best-on-ground in last year's B Section grand final which saw GNFL defeat Mortlock by 60 points. Nelly booted two goals in that game. In 2009, he won GNFL club Towns' fairest-and-best player in the league side before switching to cross-town rivals Rovers.
Also in last year's B Section-winning side was youngster Dale Wallam who was judged the championships' best young talent (Rising Star). He kicked three goals in the defeat of Mortlock.
By virtue of that win, GNFL was promoted to A Section.
Nelly's former Towns team-mates, Les Carlyon and Caleb Mourish, were selected in last year's Country All-Stars team.
While league pride is at stake, players can also press for selection in the WA country team which plays its South Australian counterpart in Adelaide later this month. That game will be the curtain-raiser to the SA Showdown between AFL clubs Port Adelaide and Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.
The WA country championships have been held since 1965.
Past fairest-and-best winners among Aboriginal footballers include former AFL legend Gilbert McAdam (1987, B Section), former Claremont player Cameron Lewis (1988, A Section), Shawn Colbung (1989, B Section), Chilton Yarran (1993, A Section), Darren Ryan (1995, A Section), Willie Dick (1998, A Section) and Kevin Mippy (2001, B Section).
AboriginalFootball@westnet.com.au
Last Modified on 17/07/2011 23:00