Huge week of representative footy

Northern NSW bragging rights go on the line this week as the focus turns to representative footy.

Saturday (8.7.17) sees the resumption of the annual rivalry between the Senior Men’s representative teams of AFL North Coast and AFL North West (formerly Tamworth AFL). North Coast has been the dominant force in these matches, having won the trophy on 10 of the previous 11 occasions that it has been up for grabs, but the boys from the North West will like their chances this time around.

Playing within their region at Inverell will ensure a home ground and supporter base advantage. Not only will the surrounds be foreign for the North Coast players, so too will the temperatures with a forecast minimum of -1 overnight and a daytime maximum of just 14 degrees. When last this match was played in Armidale in 2015 the North Coast players struggled to adjust to the cold and didn’t really hit their straps until late in the third quarter.

The North Coast team has also been hit hard by injuries to players such as Luke Boxhall, Malcolm Trotter, Andy Ellis, Andre Pocilujko, Nicklaus Stanlan-Velt, and Brandt Lee. Representative footy legend Luke Matthews has had to withdraw from the team due to family commitments, as have Adam Mannes, Luke Valdes, and Scott Dalton,

This leaves the North Coast team with an experimental look as a number of players get their chance to step up for the first time. Young players such as Eli Gray, Clancey Dickson, Josh Hunt (all Breakers), Nick Plummer, Rhys McDonald (both Grafton), Shanen Webster, and Chris Power (both Sawtell) will get their first opportunity to test themselves at this level. They will be joined on debut by more experienced players who are available for the first time in brothers Callum and Lachie Day, Matt Dwyer (all Sawtell), Chris Curthoys, Ethan Olsen, and Josh Veness (all Grafton).

Paul Taylor, AFL North Coast Operations Co-ordinator, said that everyone associated with the team is looking forward to the experience. “These rep matches are always a quality affair so it’s a great chance for the guys to play in a tough, challenging match against different opponents. They also get to train, play, and spend time with guys from other local teams that they’re normally competing against and this builds connections between those teams.”

Adding to the richness of the overall  experience will be the first ever appearance of a Women’s match as a curtain raiser. After the success of the recent game between a North Coast team and Ballina Bombers the women who played in this game are keen for another hit out, and more of their colleagues want to join in the fun.

North Coast Women will take on the North West Women’s rep team directly before the men’s game. North West will have a distinct advantage as they have the benefit of a four team competition underpinning their rep team, however North Coast will be sure to test them. With the rapid development shown during the previous game, and with the inclusion of several experienced young guns from the Youth Girls competition, the team is keen to record its first win.

Alana Hanson, North Coast Women’s Footy Champion, said that the Women can’t wait for the match. “We played our first game three weeks ago and this has really fuelled the fire for the girls who were involved. Their excitement is infectious and more Women are flocking to the code within the region.”

“We’re also looking forward to having a chance to be involved with the men’s team. The guys were so supportive at our first game and we’re already starting to form strong bonds that will help to engage the men’s clubs as we look to field teams in a Women’s competition next season.”

The full team lists are available here.

Rounding out the big week of rep footy action is the Northern Carnival which will involve teams from North Coast, Northern Rivers, North West, Hunter Coast, and Central Coast across four separate junior age groups. The carnival will feature the best underage players living between the Hawkesbury and Tweed Rivers and with talent scouts on hand, the next AFL star could be unearthed.

The Northern Carnival is to be played at Leisure Park, Coffs Harbour on Tuesday 11 and Wednesday 12 July. For more information click here.