The South East Zone squad has been selected and a team featuring some of the brightest talent in the Limestone Coast will compete in the 2022 South Australian Country Championships next month in Whyalla.
The 35-player list will train for the big event on Sunday, July 10 from 10am in Naracoorte and from 6pm on Wednesday, July 13th in Penola at 6.00pm.
Following these two sessions, a final team of 24 players will be selected including at least two Under 21 players ahead of the championships on the weekend of July 17 and 18.
Jack Kelly is coaching the team with the support of assistants Nick Davis, Ben McGregor and Steve Duldig from the KNTFL, MSEFL and WBFL respectively.
The squad has also been finalised by the selectors Peter Mitchell and Scott Duncan.
The Western Border Football League is represented well from each club with East Gambier leadership duo Jayden Eldridge and Nick Lock.
Millicent’s Jacob Carger, Kade Bradley, Frazer Bradley, Josh Werchon and Dylan Bromley will form key parts of the team, while their archrival South Gambier also has plenty of talent with Todd Reid, James Papronty and Brayden Kain expected to be big parts of their respective ends of the ground.
North Gambier’s big trio of Nick McInerney, Sam Stafford and Jake Schultz are also in the mix alongside West Gambier stars Lawrence Bradley-Brown and Daron McElroy.
The Mid South Eastern Football League has been included as part of the strong squad with Hatherleigh’s Mark Marriott and Robe’s Tom Watchel.
Reigning premier Kalangadoo has the largest contingent with Mitch Lowe, Tye McManus, Andrew Stone, Ben Gregory and Pat Davies.
Tantanoola’s Jak Ryan, Mount Burr’s Sam Wallis and Glencoe’s Dylan Childs are also featured.
Having won the recent Limestone Coast Football Carnival, the Kowree Naracoorte Tatiara Football League has some big names among the core group of players and will be key to the side going forward in the competition.
The pride of Penola will be Brad Bryant alongside Bordertown trio Tom Whittlesea and Lochie and Jacob Eats.
Naracoorte’s silky coach Matt Wilson will add a touch of class alongside Mundulla’s Jake McGrice, Tom Gaden and Darcy King.
The training squad is finalised by Padthaway’s Tobin Cox and Nathan McCarthy, plus Kingston’s Campbell Watts and Todd Lockwood.
There is plenty of talent in the squad along with experience, so it will be interesting to see if the South East Zone squad will be at the pointy end of the championships.
