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Country Championships: Great Southern named strong mix of youth and experience for division two title tilt
Country Championships: Great Southern named strong mix of youth and experience for division two title tilt

West Australian

time12-06-2025

  • Sport
  • West Australian

Country Championships: Great Southern named strong mix of youth and experience for division two title tilt

Great Southern Football League senior coach Glynn Verbruggen is confident his star-studded squad announced this week for next month's annual country championships is well-equipped to go all the way. The cherry-picked team features 44 players from all six GSFL clubs, albeit with members of Railways, Mt Barker and Albany doing most of the heavy lifting. The squad will start training next week in the build up to the 2025 Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Football Championships in Perth where Great Southern will step up to division two. 'The three stronger clubs have got the stronger representation in the squad definitely and I think that represents where we are in the ladder,' he said. 'We've got the best available talent and we're really looking forward to getting up there, competing in B-grade, and progressing ourselves. 'Obviously the standard will go up a bit, but I think we can handle it.' The squad's 2024 success has hauled them to division two, where they will compete with neighbouring rivals Ongerup and long-standing division one contenders Upper Great Southern alongside Central Midlands Coastal, North Pilbara and Eastern Districts . Verbruggen is optimistic about his outfit's chances, which represent the 'best of what the region has' to offer, in the more competitive grade. 'We're still going up there with the ambition to win B-grade,' he said. 'I don't think there's any reason that, if we play our best footy and have a good attitude, there's no reason we can't make the grand final.' The senior coach expects last year's championship all-star Bailey Taylor to be someone who leads from the front and again get big performances from guns Ryley Valli, Jayden Scott and Isaac Baum. Strong new inclusions to the team include Ballard brothers Tristan and Seb, star forward Hayden Parker and key ball winner Darcy Clarke. 'We've got some strong senior leaders but I'm looking for the younger age group to really step up and start shouldering a load for carnival footy going forward,' Verbruggen said. 'There's a strong cohort there with Valli, Wallinger and Keen — guys that should be looking to head up to carnival footy and establish themselves as stars for the league.' The Great Southern squad will start training on Monday, June 16 at Keep The Sheep Stadium starting at 6pm. Great Southern squad Nathan Powell, Cam Smith, Joel Flick, Corey Linthorne, Travis Conn, Nick Barrow, Kobi Keen, Matt Orzel, Jyrin Woods, Nelson Tulip, Brett Peake, Isaac Baum, Robbie Lee, Taj Williams, Ashely Ayles, Tait McLean, Bailey Taylor, Ryley Valli, Lachie Cale, Kane Shephard, Hayden Parker, Mohit Jaggi, Bodhi Stubber, Beau Ewen, Ryan Davies, Daniel Thomas, Jayden Scott, Daniel Patching, Brandon Ugle, Darcy Wallinger, Dante Wiseman, Camball McMahon, Darcy Clarke, Tristan Ballard, Seb Ballard, Brent Parsons, David Stone, Mitch Jackson, Tyreice Brown.

Tributes flow as Railways' player-coach Bodhi Stubber celebrates 200th game in Great Southern Football League
Tributes flow as Railways' player-coach Bodhi Stubber celebrates 200th game in Great Southern Football League

West Australian

time10-06-2025

  • Sport
  • West Australian

Tributes flow as Railways' player-coach Bodhi Stubber celebrates 200th game in Great Southern Football League

He was given a guard of honour at the start of the match and chaired off as the sunshine ebbed away at the end, the applause ringing throughout to recognise Bodhi Stubber as the life and soul of the Railways Football Club. The fearless defender and dual premiership captain received worthy recognition after playing his 200th league game for the Tigers on Saturday. The 30-year-old made his league debut at the age of 15, has won three GSFL premierships and is a three-time George Stephens medallist at his club and in 2023 was a joint runner-up in the Kleemann Medal. His milestone game against the Royals at the Keep the Sheep Stadium, was a fitting tribute to the player-coach, almost an exhibition match in fact, as he was able to indulge his considerable skills with a dominant display that finished with six goals. A modest man, he spent three quarters of the game setting up his teammates before taking the fourth quarter by the scruff of the neck and cutting loose himself. He converted four goals with perfect strikes in that period, boot connecting with ball as though launching a Burley from 50m through a 6.4m gap was the easiest thing in the world. He seemed embarrassed by the fuss, but he appreciated reaching the milestone in this most brutal of sports. 'It's great to have been able to play 200 games with such a great club,' he said. 'I'm not great on personal milestones but it is nice to sit alongside some of the old timers who have done it.' His highlights did not come from individual honours. 'Oh, I just love training, the mateship, premierships, the trips — everything which is great about country football,' he said. 'I came through the juniors and have just loved it ever since. 'I think it's my job now to pass that experience and that enjoyment through to the next generation. 'That is the most important thing; you have to enjoy it, or there's no point.' He is equally passionate about his coaching role, even though he has no intention of hanging up his playing boots. 'I'm going to hang around for a bit yet,' he promised. Craig Bevan knows him well, as a clubmate, father-in-law and employee at Albany's Aqua Ice business. He said Stubber was someone who leads by example. 'He's a hard man, a dedicated man and I think that hard work and dedication is rubbing off on the other players,' he said. 'He sets an example and when the others see how hard he goes, they want to follow his example and not let him down.' Royals' coach Darrell Panizza was also keen to pay tribute, rather than dwell on his side's 119-point drubbing. 'Congratulations to Stubber, he had a really good match,' he said. 'He has been an ornament to the game and to the Great Southern Football League.'

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