Northern Football League juggling injuries and unavailabilities ahead of Peninsula league test at AFL Victoria Community Championships

ROBERT Hyde’s pen has run dry crossing out names since he unveiled the Northern Football League’s initial squad for the AFL Victoria Community Championships in March.

NFL interleague coach Robert Hyde. Picture: Angie Basdekis.

ROBERT Hyde’s pen has run dry crossing out names since he unveiled the Northern Football League’s initial squad for the AFL Victoria Community Championships in March.

The NFL coach named 41 players in his training squad to take on the Peninsula league, but only 23 of those were still available last week.

Brad Leggett (Macleod), Nick Riddle (Greensborough), Michael Hooper (Greensborough) and Justin Sherman (Whittlesea) are among the players who have been ruled out for Saturday’s clash at Rye’s R.J Rowley Reserve.

Hyde said he was confident the NFL would put up a strong showing against the Peninsula despite the absence of several front-liners.

“It’s been a little bit disjointed, but the ones we’re going to put on the park, it will be a good side,” Hyde said.

“It’s a balancing act, but we’ll end up with a really competitive squad one way or another.”

Hyde said the NFL had assembled a squad determined to uphold the league’s reputation as one of Victoria’s strongest.

“There’s a whole set of blokes who are really happy to represent us and I’m keen to play them as a No. 1 priority,” he said.

Bundoora ruckman Matt Dennis and Montmorency star Jesse Donaldson have been named co-captains of the NFL side.

Hyde said he was aware the Peninsula league’s squad had also been beset by injuries, with former Greensborough forward Tim Bongetti (Pines) among those battling to prove their fitness.

Ex-AFL forward Aaron Edwards (Pines), Mt Eliza spearhead Justin Van Unen and former Hawk Beau Muston (Frankston) headlined the initial squad chosen by one of country Victoria’s top competitions.

“It’s one of those things, we’re not going to know until the day just about who’s going to line up,” Hyde said.

“You can’t delve into it too deeply and say, ‘I think these blokes are going to play’.”

The NFL lost last year’s AFL Victoria Metropolitan Championships decider to the Victorian Amateur Football Association by five points, missing out on the mantle of Melbourne’s top metro competition.

The Eastern league will enter the Community Championships as the No. 1 ranked metro league and will tackle the Geelong Football League for the title of Victoria’s top competition.