NFL inter-league coach Garry Ramsay announces squad ahead of Geelong Football League clash

Northern Football League coach Garry Ramsay is staying true to his inter-league squad from last year, rewarding the players that earned the NFL a shot at the Community Championships title.

Jordan Perry leaps over Dylan Jones in last year’s Community Championships clash.

There will be some familiar faces when the Northern Football League vies for the coveted title of the state’s No. 1 competition.

NFL coach Garry Ramsay has remained loyal to the squad which helped the league advance to the AFL Victoria Community Championships title fight against Geelong Football League on Saturday, May 18.

“Three years ago when I first took over I invited a lot of people and got turned down a lot,” he said.

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“I decided we should stick with the players that committed — when it was five v six and hard to get people to play — as a reward.

“Our two results have been really healthy and we’re confident the list we’ve put together over the last three years will get the job done.”

In Ramsay’s first year in charge, the NFL thumped Western Region by 125 points before beating Mornington Peninsula-Nepean by 40 points last year to earn a shot at the No. 1 ranking.

Garry Ramsay will coach the inter-league squad for a third year. Picture: Josie Hayden

The Eastern league claimed the No. 1 ranking by defeating Geelong last year but decided not to defend their title in 2019.

Ramsay has called up Dale Marshall (Bundoora), Ben Fennell (Greensborough) and Jack Langford (Banyule) to the representative squad and was confident the trio would fit in nicely.

“Jack Langford has played a lot of first division footy, he’s played VFL footy. Ben Fennell comes from a VFL background and Dale is on Essendon’s VFL list,” he said.

“Our list is going to be full of blokes who have had VFL experience as well as Northern footy league.”

All 10 Division 1 clubs are represented, while Langford, Anton Woods (Eltham) and Jaron Murphy (Whittlesea) will step up from Division 2.

Jack Langford in action for Banyule. Picture: Nathan William Media

Geelong will be keen to rebound from last year’s loss to the EFL and Ramsay is looking forward to arguably the toughest test in inter-league football.

“It should be a cracking game. They held the No. 1 spot for a long time and are really good competitors,” he said.

“They’ve selected their local blokes as well, there’s only a couple of AFL experience.

“I don’t think they’ve been beaten down in Geelong, they won three titles in Geelong, so we’re going to have to do something nobody has — beat them in Geelong.”

NORTHERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE INTER-LEAGUE SQUAD

BANYULE: Jack Langford

BUNDOORA: Matthew Dennis, Brent Marshall, Dale Marshall

ELTHAM: Anton Woods

GREENSBOROUGH: Ben Fennell, Jack Johnston, Nick Riddle

HEIDELBERG: Ryan Stone

HURSTBRIDGE: Lachlan East, Tom Simpson

LOWER PLENTY: Darcy Barden, Thomas Blake

MACLEOD: Reid Brandt, Lucas Hobbs, Brad Leggett, Hamish Paynter, Justin White

MONTMORENCY: Jesse Donaldson, Patrick Fitzgerald, Stephen McCallum, Jai Robinson

NORTHCOTE PARK: Paul Dirago, Jordan Perry

NORTH HEIDELBERG: Jhye Baddeley-Kelly, Brandon Bailey

WEST PRESTON -LAKESIDE: Liam McVeigh

WHITTLESEA: Jaron Murphy

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