By DAVID NAGEL
CASEY Cardinia’s recent interleague victory over Bellarine has resulted in seven players being selected in a 44-man GrainCorp Vic Country 2 squad that will take on the VAFA on Saturday 12 July.
Narre Warren trio Kain Baskaya, Michael Collins and Josh Tonna, Cranbourne bookends Marc Holt and Brandon Osborne, and Berwick’s Jordy Andrews will join Tooradin’s Matthew Wade in a squad that will train at Harry Trott Oval in Melbourne on three Sundays leading into the match.
The game, which coincides with the AFL Victoria Community Cup between WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country (No.1 side) and a representative side from Melbourne’s six premier senior community competitions, will be played at the Western Oval, Geelong.
Last year, the GrainCorp Vic Country 2 side held on a for a dramatic one-point victory against the VAFA and coach John Cossar said they would be gunning for a similar result.
“We’ll be expecting a very strong VAFA squad to be picked but we’re confident we have the right mix of players to come away with victory,” Cossar said.
“Picking the initial training squad is an incredibly difficult task with so many players to choose from.”
“We started with more than 70 names to consider and to pick a 44-man squad means a lot of quality players have, unfortunately, missed selection.”
A match between the EnergySafe Vic Country U19 team and an U19 VAFA representative side will immediately precede the GrainCorp Vic 2 v VAFA clash at Western Oval.
The EnergySafe U19 preliminary squad will be announced late this week.
GrainCorp Vic Country 2 Squad
Casey Cardinia representatives
Jordy Andrews, Berwick
Kain Baskaya, Narre Warren
Michael Collins, Narre Warren
Marc Holt, Cranbourne
Brandon Osborne, Cranbourne
Joshua Tonna, Narre Warren
Matthew Wade, Tooradin-Dalmore
Others selected:
Jarrod Bayliss (Wandin), Dyson Bell-Warren (Anglesea), Stephen Bensted (Drysdale), Mitchell Bosward (Frankston Bombers), Jack Brown (Morwell East), Jordyn Burke (Horsham Demons), Patrick Cariss (Riddells Creek), Brett Chambers (Rupertswood), Beau Cosson (Ararat), Ashraf Davies (Healesville), Thomas Davies (Lancaster), John Delahunty (Minyip Murtoa), Jake Driessen (Wandin), Chris Endres (Kilcunda Bass), Joshua Finch (Modewarre), Michael Fowkes (Wandin), Ryan Gillingham (Kerang), Matthew Gray (Buln Buln), Tim Hill (Mount Pleasant), Patrick Knott (Horsham Saints), Ben Lavars (Geelong Amateur), Nathan Lieshout (Bunyip), Bob McCallum (Buln Buln), Rohan McHugh (Wedderburn), Luke McKenna (Emerald), Cameron McNeill (Barnawartha), Jarrod Morgan (Buninyong), Justin Myers (Wandin), Karl Norman (Glenrowan Kelly Tigers), Nic Pekin (Horsham Demons), Christopher Petroro (Romsey), Leigh Poholke (Sorrento), Coleman Schache (Hopetoun), Rhett Sutton (Rye), Terry Wheeler (Dromana), Shane Williams (Monbulk) and James Wright (Macedon).
