THE Central Rivers interleague squad will go into Saturday’s under-23s’ clash against Sunraysia with a full strength squad and a mindset of all-out attack, according to head coach Marcus Demaria.
The Koondrook-Barham senior coach will return to lead the Two-Blues into battle following last year’s 66-point win over Sunraysia, with the two leagues to meet again at the Swan Hill Rec. Reserve from 2.45pm Saturday, July 12.
Last season saw the return of interleague football following a four year absence, with the Central Rivers senior team dominating their northern rivals in the main game, with the Two-Blues piling on 10 consecutive goals after quarter time.
It was a result that Demaria will be hoping his younger squad can replicate on Saturday in front of a parochial home crowd, with the dual Woorinen premiership coach telling The Guardian he wants his side to play like “the Harlem Globetrotters of football”.
“That’s the way I’ve described it to them, we’re going to let them off the leash and play with a bit of freedom,” Demaria said this week.
“It will be free rein offence and even though we’ll still have some defensive structures, because that’s the way I like to coach, on offence I’ve just said go for it.
“That’s the way I’ve described it from the start and that’s the way they’ve been training, just flick the ball around and don’t worry about making errors, because we’re not worried about that.
“Don’t forget these guys have put their hand up and they want to play and that’s the other exciting part.
“We’re not forcing them to play or making them play, they have all put their hand up, they want to play and they want to play together.
“We’re just giving them that opportunity and I don’t want them to be too structured, just go out there and showcase your skill set, connect well and hopefully they gel well together.
“That’s the challenging part, bringing a team like this together, but they all bring something different to the table, and now it’s up to them to show their strengths, hopefully we see some really elite football.”
Although this year’s edition has been restricted to an under-23s team, there have also been provisions made for up to four overage or marquee players to take part.
Woorinen ruckman Lachlan Gardner, Mallee Eagles inside midfielder Harry Allen and Tyntynder utility Elia Ware will all suit up the Central Rivers team.
Ware was a late inclusion for last year’s game in Mildura and played a key role in defence for Central Rivers, while Allen missed the match with injury on the eve of the game.
It’s the young talent that has Demaria excited however, with players of the calibre of Cohuna’s Ricky Monti, Woorinen’s Henry Thompson and Matthew Gardner, Tyntynder’s Bailey Reeves, and Koondrook-Barham’s Roy George all confirmed to be taking part.
“There’s a heap of talent there, which I’m excited about,” Demaria said.
“Being an under-23 format, it’s good that we have some of the region’s best youth on show and they’ll get the opportunity to showcase their own skill set.
“We have a few of the Bendigo Pioneers boys playing, rather than playing in the under-18s game, they’re going to play in the under-23s, which is great.
“We have three players in there that have VFL experience, which is great, with Roy George, Ricky Monti and Bailey Reeves, who are all 22-years-old and all excited to play.
“Whether it was an open age game or not, those guys would all be playing anyway and then we have likes of Henry Thompson, Matt Gardner and Dom Gallo who would also be playing regardless of age restrictions.
“We also have Jack Headon from Hay and Archer Lancaster from Wandella as two Golden Rivers boys who also deserve their spot in the team.”
Also set to take part for the Central Rivers team is NNW United premiership duo Dom Gallo and Zack Threadgold along with Bendigo Pioneers players Wilhem Bennett, Harry Bremner and Ryan Bassett.
Although Demaria is keen for his team to attack the game and play with flair, the challenge will be implementing that game style off the back of a restricted preparation and an opponent that remains an unknown quantity.
“I’ve seen their (Sunraysia) initial squad, but I haven’t seen their final squad,” Demaria said.
“They had a long list, but I’m not sure how much that’s been cut down, but I’m pretty sure that they’ll be bringing a competitive team down and hopefully it’s a good contest.
“In terms of numbers, training has been okay because obviously the players have their own club trainings that they participate in.
“It’s a hard one, because we’ve been training on Wednesday nights, and then they all have their club training on either side of that, so we’ve had to manage their workload and all that sort of stuff.
“It’s been good and I’m really looking forward to the hit out and again, seeing some of the region’s best players come together, implement a game plan, connect and then try and win a game of footy.
“It’s exciting and hopefully we get a big crowd down to support the occasion.”
