Fiorenza finds right mix for country week

The Great Northern Football League have announced their initial training squad for the 2017 Landmark Country Football Championships.

Guided by Dave Fiorenza, the GNFL begin their campaign in Northam on Saturday, June 17, against the Avon Football Association before completing the remainder of the carnival in Perth on Saturday, July 8.

Fiorenza said the selected squad had two common themes — players who were in form and also committed to winning the hard ball under pressure.

“We need a certain type of player to take down to Perth with us,” he said. “Some of those real ‘in and under’ type of players.

“They probably don’t always get noticed as often as they should, so we reward players like that.

“We’ve got our own sort of style the way we play in Geraldton — we’re a ‘run and stun’ sort of style but we need those in-and-under guys to get the ball out to our runners.”

The squad possesses a equal blend of experience and youth, something which Fiorenza believes could prove telling in the second component of the carnival.

“I look for the old, true, tried and tested blokes to do the same thing for you all the time,” he said.

“You can rely on them. But when you get young kids, you just don’t know. Every now and then it could be bad, but I think the upsides are way better than the downside.

“A lot of people probably don’t give young blokes a go because they may be scared of the consequences — losing a game because of inexperience.

“But I’m more the other way.”

Fiorenza has no club-based commitments this season and is enjoying the opportunity of watching GNFL matches from a neutral perspective. “I can appreciate a game of footy — two sides and I watch how they both go about it,” he said.

Great Northern Football League 2017 Landmark Country Football Championships country week training squad*

Dale Williamson, Leith Teakle, Sam Millett, Brad Cooper, Joel Patrick (Brigades), Aiden Anthony, Nathan Gray, Zeno Valenti (Chapman Valley), Jordon Comeagain, Josh Simpson, Godfrey Curley, Steve Carnamah, Chris Wall, Dale Wallam (Mullewa), Kingsley Smith, Kayle Cripps, Nathaniel Mourambine, Tyler Hall, Braden Jupp, Grady Tomelty (Northampton), Mitch Boyle, Nathan Tubby, David Crudeli, Dillon Prater, Kim Schofield, Drew Tunbridge, Matt Clarke (Railways), Karl Zis, Scott McKay, Jamie Koric, Farren Parfitt, James Bear, Jaimon Alone, Clayton Dann (Rovers), Chris Kane, Rohan Fariss, Anthony Kyanga, William Thorne, Gus Devitt, Jack Beer, Tristan Simpson (Towns)

* Additional players may be added to the squad at any time at the discretion of the GNFL coach (Dave Fiorenza) and his selectors.

2017 Bendigo Bank Great Northern Football League Colts training squad

(Will compete at the CBH Northern Colts Carnival, Wongan Hills on June 17/18)

Jesse Casselton, Jed Edwards, Harry Grant, Caleb Gray, Lee Hutchins, Nathan Puls (Brigades), Finlay Bain, Jai Jackson, Gerard McKenna, Len Papertalk, Matthew Walker, Dylan Williamson, Liam Woodman, Michael Wright (Chapman Valley), Dylan Curley, Jandimarra Dwyer, Leon Galby, Richard Hamlett, Trent Steele (Mullewa), Ethan Chick, Dylan Corbett, Braden Jupp, Max Lawson, Bailey Pratt, Callum Teakle, Bohan Teakle (Northampton), Jack Calver, Owen Delaney, Brayden Heal, Thomas Keleher, Blake Messina, Max Murphy, Kobi Pratt, Jayce Price, Kobi Sellar, James Zampin (Railways), Riley Barham, James Bear, Roland Drummond, Flynn Heberle, Shukri Pearce, Bradley Roworth, Ben Starling (Rovers), Thomas Collins, William Faithfull (Towns)