Star North Adelaide recruit Angus Schumacher among nine newcomers named in SANFL state squad to play VFL in Barossa Valley

Nine newcomers have been named to tackle the VFL in the Barossa Valley on Saturday, including boom WAFL recruit Angus Schumacher, writes Andrew Capel.

He’s won a Simpson Medal as Western Australia’s best player against South Australia and now boom North Adelaide recruit Angus Schumacher is poised to don the red, blue and gold state colours against the Big V.

The midfield bull has been selected in the SANFL state squad to tackle the VFL at Tanunda in the Barossa Valley on Saturday after playing just two games for his new club the Roosters following his high-profile recruiting from WAFL club East Perth.

Schumacher, 26, is one of nine possible SANFL state debutants named in a 26-man squad, which will be trimmed to 23 at a final selection meeting on Thursday.

The others are his North teammates Dyson Hilder, Ewan MacKinlay and Alex Van Wyk, Glenelg premiership trio James Bell, Cam McGree and Jonty Scharenberg, Sturt’s Flynn Perez and West Adelaide’s Kobe Ryan.

Star North Adelaide recruit Angus Schumacher. Picture: Dean Martin

Sturt’s Flynn Perez. Picture: Keryn Stevens

SA, which beat Victoria by 14 points at Glenelg last season in the first meeting between the states in eight years, has picked a strong, in-form squad with a good balance of youth and experience, although regular state captain Joseph Sinor is unavailable for personal reasons (a wedding).

Glenelg, which has won the past two SANFL premierships, dominates state selection, with eight players in the squad.

Apart from Bell, McGree and Scharenberg, the Tigers are also represented by club captain Liam McBean, Matthew Allen, Lachie Hosie, Corey Lyons and Max Proud.

North is the next-best represented club, with five players - Schumacher, former Norwood big man Van Wyk, MacKinlay, Dyson Hilder and veteran Harrison Wigg.

Sturt has four players in the squad, Woodville-West Torrens three, Central District and Norwood two and Port Adelaide and West Adelaide one.

Adelaide and South Adelaide are the only clubs with no players in the squad.

The interstate clash, to be staged as part of AFL Gather Round, will be played at Tanunda Recreation Park at 2.45pm.

SA selector and SANFL head of talent and football operations Sean Toohey described the squad, which will be coached for the first time by dual Glenelg premiership mentor Darren Reeves, as “really balanced with a lot of depth and top-end talent’’.

SANFL state coach Darren Reeves (holding state jumper), with assistant coaches, from left, Sam Mayes, Sam Jacobs and Paul Thomas at Tanunda Recreation Park. Picture: David Mariuz/SANFL

“We have a good balance of youth and experience, newcomers and guys who have played a lot of state footy,’’ he said.

“Given the game is so early in the season, we concentrated on the trial matches and the opening two rounds to make sure we picked players who are in good form, which is important because we are coming up against a very strong VFL squad.’’

The SA squad will train at Prospect Oval on Wednesday and Glenelg Oval on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s encounter.

The SANFLW has also named a 26-player squad for its historic state clash against the VFLW under lights at Alberton Oval at 6.30pm on Friday.

It will be the first time SA and Victoria have gone head-to-head in senior women’s competition since their state leagues were established in 2017.

The SANFLW beat the WAFLW in their inaugural state clash last year.

SANFL SQUAD

Aiden Grace, Harry Grant (Central District); Matthew Allen, James Bell, Lachie Hosie, Corey Lyons, Liam McBean, Cam McGree, Max Proud, Jonty Scharenberg (Glenelg); Dyson Hilder, Ewan MacKinlay, Angus Schumacher, Alex Van Wyk, Harrison Wigg (North Adelaide); Billy Cootee, Matthew Ling (Norwood); Jez McLennan (Port Adelaide), Will Coomblas, Tom Lewis, Flynn Perez, Casey Voss (Sturt); Kobe Ryan (West Adelaide); Connor Ballenden, Jack Hayes, James Rowe (Woodville-West Torrens).

SANFLW SQUAD

Madison Lane, Laitiah Huynh, Katelin Rosenzweig, Lauren Breguet (Central District), Marie Martino, Jess Bates, Ellie Kellock (Glenelg), Laela Ebert (North Adelaide), Sarah Branford, Jade Halfpenny, Kiana Lee (Norwood), Tiffany King, Soriah Moon, Melissa Anderson (South Adelaide), Alex Ballard, Isobel Kuiper, Zara Walsh (Sturt), Hannah Button, Emma Kilpatrick, Zoe Venning (West Adelaide), Annie Falkenberg, Christina Leuzzi, Poppy Waterford, Sophie Zuill, Leah Cutting, Klaudia O’Neill (Woodville-West Torrens)

Originally published as Star North Adelaide recruit Angus Schumacher among nine newcomers named in SANFL state squad to play VFL in Barossa Valley