GEOFF Maddern and his coaching staff have revealed the U19 squad that will take on the Eastern Football League next Saturday at Bayswater Oval.
In nine days the wait will be over for what is sure to be a thrilling U19 Interleague encounter between two sides filled with talent.
The best U19 players from the EDFL and the EFL will clash in the curtain-raiser to the senior game between the two leagues.
After coaching the U19 EDFL side last year, current Airport West senior assistant coach Geoff Maddern has been training and preparing with a squad of over 45 players.
He is aiming to continue the good form from last year’s win over the Goulburn Valley Football League at Windy Hill.
We spoke with Maddern as he and his coaching staff prepare for the blockbuster clash.
Geoff, how has the U19 Interleague program gone so far this year?
Really good so far. It’s been great to have heaps of blokes turn up this year. Compared to last year we’ve had almost double the numbers to choose from which has been handy. The side we had last year was very good, but this year is a different opposition so we may have some changes.
Are there any drastic changes you may have to make compared to last year’s team?
This year we probably have to be a little bit quicker. Eastern (Football League) tend to have bigger-bodied players and they tend to play a lot of corridor footy, so we’re going to have to work out our game plan, that way we can work around that and go from there.
What is the focus for this year and how much time have you put into assessing the opposition?
Our focus for the game this year will be similar to last year, to enjoy the experience and to represent the EDFL with pride. Eastern always produce strong sides at representative level so we are expecting a tough contest. Their side traditionally has tall lads down the spine and big bodies through the midfield, so our lads will need to use all of their resources to bring home a win.
Have you been happy with the talent pool you’ve been able to choose from?
Yeah for sure. We’ve had talent come from everywhere and it’s fantastic to see. We’ve had some clubs send out some players this year when in previous years they hadn’t sent out anyone, and it just gives us more to choose from, which is always a good dilemma to have.
How keen are you to build on last year’s success?
I’m really keen to see this program grow. It’s a great opportunity for our young players to show their skills and test their mettle against the strongest leagues in the state. Last year’s success has no doubt contributed to the enthusiasm this year’s squad has shown. The team will have a very different look, though. Last year we were blessed with an incredibly tall side. We had 190 cm players on both wings! This year we have picked a side full of hard runners with serious pace.
Who are some of the on-field leaders we should be looking out for on game day?
Quite a few of the boys selected this year played in last year’s team and we’ll be looking to them to provide leadership on-field given their experience at this level. Dinny Cleary’s had a great start to the year and Jordy Farrell’s been racking up plenty of possessions at club level. Brodie Meyers is always dangerous around goals while Brandon Schibeci’s elite skills by foot will again be on show. All of the lads have plenty of talent and the depth of our competition is evidenced by the quality of the players who missed out.
2017 EDFL U19 INTERLEAGUE SQUAD
ABERFELDIE
Jordan Farrell, Mark Gregory, Sam Medland, Jacob Shaw & Matthew Williamson
AIRPORT WEST
Jack Deoki & Lachlan DiSebastiano
AVONDALE HEIGHTS
Jackson Robb
ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS
Justin Condo, Dante Digiglio, Brodie Meyers, Chad Sir & Jake Toa
KEILOR
James Bailey, Jake Camelleri, Alex Kocovic, Ben McManus & David Tonkich
MARIBYRNONG PARK
Brandon Schibeci
ROXBURGH PARK
Jack Elliott
WEST COBURG
Dinny Cleary & Josh Marino
Emergencies
Aydin Kesici (Craigieburn), Jack Newman (Moonee Valley) & Scott Russell (Avondale Heights)
