Weekly Times | GEELONG Football League will be out to defend its No. 1 ranking in country Victoria on Saturday against the same league it wrestled it from two years ago.
The Goulburn Valley league will host Geelong and its new coach Jeremy Dyer at Shepparton's Deakin Reserve in the Worksafe Country Championships' top-of-the-table clash.
INTERLEAGUE: Geelong (1) v Goulburn Valley (2), Deakin Reserve, Shepparton, Saturday, May 23, 2pm
Former AFL player and North Shore playing coach Jason Davenport will captain Geelong. Dyer said former St Mary's coach Rob Condy, back at Newtown & Chilwell, and two-time Geelong league best-and-fairest winner Dan Lovick would help fill the void left by last year's captain Tim Sheringham (other commitments) and vice-captain Jarrod Young (knee).
Lovick, who has returned to St Joseph's, spent the past two seasons with Goulburn Valley club Shepparton Swans and Dyer has "picked his brain" to prepare for the match.
"It's one versus two and hopefully the game does it justice which, with the talent getting out onto the ground, I think it will," Dyer said.
Some Goulburn Valley players will need to prove their fitness at training tonight before they are selected. They include Benalla playing coach Luke Morgan, who returned to football on Saturday after a four-week absence due to a hamstring injury.
Goulburn Valley coach Travis Ryan said recently delisted Geelong player George Burbury, now with Mansfield, and Seymour's Tim Bongetti were already out of contention with hamstring injuries.
But former Brisbane Lion and now Kyabram coach Justin Sherman headlines some major inclusions in the initial squad. Vice-captain Jason Morgan, from Kyabram, will be the backline's cornerstone, where Ryan said captain Tim Looby would likely play depending on other selections.
"It's going to be two very different sides from the two that played down there (at Geelong) a couple of years ago," Ryan said.
COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
1 v 2) Geelong v Goulburn Valley
Deakin Reserve,
Shepparton, 2pm
(3 v 4) Peninsula v Ovens & Murray
Albury Sports Ground,
Albury, 1pm
(5 v 6) Ballarat v Bendigo
Eastern Oval, Ballarat, 1.30pm
(7 v 8) Hampden v Murray
Reid Oval, Warrnambool, 2.15pm
(9 v 10) Gippsland v Yarra Valley Mountain District
Drouin Recreation Reserve, Drouin, 2.30pm
(11 v 12) Sunraysia v South East
Casey Fields,
Cranbourne, 2pm
(15 v 16) Bellarine v Wimmera
Horsham City Oval,
Horsham, 3pm
(17 v 18) Central Murray v Heathcote District
Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo, 4.30pm
(19 v 20) North Central v Geelong & District
St Albans Reserve, Geelong East, 2.10pm
(21 v 22) Horsham & District v Central Highlands
Horsham City Oval,
Horsham, 12pm
(23 v 24) Maryborough Castlemaine District v Ellinbank & District.
Princes Park, Maryborough, 2pm
(25 v 26) Loddon Valley v Alberton
Queen Elizabeth Oval, Bendigo, 1.30pm
(27 v 28) Mid Gippsland v Warrnambool & District
Ronald Reserve, Morwell East, 2pm
(29 v 13) Riddell District v Nepean
Tony Clarke Reserve, Macedon, 2pm
(31 v 32) Colac & District v Golden Rivers
Murrabit Recreation Reserve, Murrabit, 1.15pm
(33 v 34) Kyabram District v Mininera & District
Deakin Reserve, Shepparton, 11.30am