Interleague rivals line up

By Brad Kingsbury
MORNINGTON Peninsula Nepean Football League (MPNFL) selectors have chosen a young squad from which the interleague side to contest this year’s VCFL Country Challenge match against the West Gippsland Latrobe Football League will be selected.
The one-off match will be played at Pakenham’s Toomuc Reserve on Saturday, 6 June, over the Queen’s Birthday bye.
The game is a bi-annual event that is played in between the similarly scheduled VCFL Country Championship years and is designed to pit neighbouring country leagues of similar standing against each other for pride and bragging rights.
MPNFL and West Gippsland sides have a long history of competition over many decades and this year’s match will be contested for the Pakenham Gazette Cup, won in its inaugural year by the MPNFL in 2008.
Coaches for all MPNFL grades have been appointed with Seaford premiership coach Paul Kennedy again looking after the senior MPNFL Sharks assisted by Pakenham coach Michael Holland and former Bonbeach reserves coach Steve Capp.
The under-18s will be in the care of Narre Warren mentor Mark Douglas.
Familiar names on the MPNFL list include ex-AFL star Andrew Williams (Collingwood-West Coast) together with VFL names including Luke Walker, Russell Gabriel, Brad Sykes, Pat Cadd, Doug Scott and Paul Rebeshcini.
The Casey Cardinia League boasts 12 players of the 26 selected in the initial squad.
The full squad is:
Darren Booth (Mt Eliza), Daniel Borninkhof (Narre Warren), Lee Boyle (Narre Warren), Patrick Cadd (Seaford), Steve Charalambous (Karingal), Michael Collins (Narre Warren), Donovan Epa (Seaford), Daniel Fry (Pakenham), Russell Gabriel (Doveton), Jared Goldsack (Pakenham), Jason Heath (Berwick) and Ryan Hendy (Doveton).
Shane Hockey (Mornington), Adam Hunter (Dromana), Chris Irving (Seaford), Andrew Kiely (Frankston YCW), Tyson King (Keysborough), Brian O’Carroll (Frankston), Paul Rebeshcini (Bonbeach), Daniel Rigg (Devon Meadows), Doug Scott (Sorrento), Tim Smith (Seaford), Brad Sykes (Bonbeach), Kane Taylor (Seaford), Luke Walker (Pakenham) and Andrew Williams (Beaconsfield).
Planned training sessions:
Wednesday, 27 May, Seaford FC 6.30pm; Thursday, 4 June, jumper presentation dinner at Pakenham.