League Archive

2019 West End State Squad

5 years ago – April 26, 2019

By ZAC MILBANK

A 30-player West End State squad has been unveiled to tackle the WAFL at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday May 12.

Featuring five players each from North Adelaide and South Adelaide, the Croweaters will be desperate to avenge last year’s 26-point loss to the Sandgropers at Adelaide Oval.

Roosters premiership mentor Josh Carr will coach the SANFL side in 2019, replacing Sturt’s flag-winning hero Marty Mattner, who was at the helm in 2018.

Triple Fos Williams Medallist Zane Kirkwood will almost certainly don the cherished red guernsey again after captaining the West End State side last year.

The dual Magarey Medallist headlines a damaging midfield unit which also includes Norwood pair Mitch Grigg and Matt Panos, South stars Joel Cross and Nick Liddle, Central ball magnet Travis Schiller and potential debutants Jordan Foote and Will Snelling.

There will be no shortage of outside run due to the selection of Indigenous SANFL stars Dom Barry, Anthony Wilson and Danyle Pearce, the latter able to provide valuable insight into the opposition given his time spent playing with WAFL club Peel Thunder in 2018.

In the absence of injured Glenelg star Josh Scott (broken arm), the attack could be headed up by Eagle Jack Hayes with plenty of medium-sized goal kickers such as Bulldogs Justin Hoskin and Troy Menzel, West’s Jonathan Beech, North’s Lewis Hender and Eagle Jared Petrenko.

Heading up the backline will be Jack Oatey Medallist Jack Stephens with a host of no-frills defenders such as Glenelg pair Chris Curran and Max Proud, North’s Tanner Smith and South’s Joe Haines.

Carr will be joined by fellow SANFL senior coaches Jarrad Wright (South) and Gavin Colville (West) in the coaches box, together with past West End State skipper Paul Thomas, who is now an assistant with Adelaide’s State League team.

Training will begin on Tuesday April 30 at Alberton Oval with three sessions to be held before the final team departs on Saturday May 11 ahead of the clash which will be a curtain-raiser to the AFL match between Fremantle and Richmond at the new 60,000 capacity venue.