BFL’s best on show at interleague clash

Bellarine (15th) vs. Wimmera (16th) @ Horsham City Oval, Saturday 2.00pm

IT will be a new-look Bellarine team that heads to Horsham for a meeting with Wimmera in Saturday’s AFL Victoria Community Championships 15 v 16 clash.

Just six players – Ocean Grove trio Jahd Anderson, Andrew Jarvis, James Linton; Barwon Heads speedster Cam O’Leary; Modewarre coach Josh Finch; and Anglesea star Dale Kerr – return from the Sharks line-up that overran Heathcote and District by 80 points in 2016 at Ocean Grove’s Ray Menzies Oval.

While Anderson, Finch, Jarvis, Torquay’s Billy Barnes and Anglesea’s Josh Bouwman are the only players named that lined up against Wimmera in their previous meeting – a 17-point loss for the Sharks – in 2015.

“It’s a very young team and vert mobile and very fit – probably one of the fittest teams I’ve seen in Bellarine for a long time, to be honest,” coach Mark Hildebrandt said.

“We’ve got a few blokes that can play many different positions, which will hopefully suit us.”

Eight clubs are represented, with only Portarlington and Drysdale not providing a player in the final side.

“Brock Williamson was very, very unlucky – he would be my next player in,” Hildebrandt said of the young Demon.

“You’ve got blokes like Kerr and (Matt) Farrelly that play that similar position off half back.

“And for Drysdale, I had two of their blokes in my starting 18 – (Daniel) Jull and their big ruckman (Rob Corden-McKinley).

“Unfortunately, both couldn’t come up through injury, otherwise we would have had everyone represented.”

Hildebrandt had indicated to krockfootball.com.au last week that Barwon Heads co-coach and captain Mitch Herbison would skipper the BFL, however he has withdrawn from the squad due to concussion.

That has opened the door for Ocean Grove captain James Linton to lead the Sharks.

The BFL will have its final training session and jumper presentation at Queen’s Park tonight.