Six Saints named in 50-player interleague squad

The purple and gold hopefuls will come together at Deakin Reserve on Wednesday, May 13 and it will see a who’s who of the GVL elite share ideas and strategies.

GVL coach Nick Pearson said they weren’t just names on a board either.

“Putting out a list of 50 names is one thing, getting the commitment is usually the hard part,” Pearson said.

“The 50 that were announced today, they’ve all committed. It’s not a matter of here’s the invites and see who shows up, it’s a matter of 50 blokes saying they want to play interleague.

“They’re going to put their best foot forward to try and get selected for the (final) squad.”

Included is the previously announced leadership group of ex-AFL talents Callum Brown and Sam Reid, league leading goal-kicker Riley Mason, prolific ball-winner Jack Murphy, and Benalla defender Nick Warnock.

For the remainder, the league coaching panel of Nick Pearson, Trent Freer, and Peter Banfield have signalled their intentions.

They wanted the best of the best, and they got them in the first release.

Five other Benalla players will join Warnock in the squad, with Mark Marriott, David Mennen, Travis Young, Kevin Maroney, and Saints skipper Chris Welsh named in the intial 50.

The GVL have also named 14 current or former State league stars and a coterie of the competition’s top-ranked stars tapped on the shoulder, including consistent ball-winners Kai Madgwick, Jimmy Bennett, and Jack Russell.

Behind Mason in the goal-kicking is Kyabram’s Anthony Depasquale, and ‘Dipper’ has also been named in what could be a potent forward combination.

Brodie Newman’s impact at his new club Shepparton United has been rewarded and Benalla’s David Mennen is no stranger to the interleague after appearing for the GVL in 2018, set to form an imposing intercept defending group alongside Warnock.

Zac Norris and Mark Marriott would also make a fine team-up rolling through the ruck should a one-two punch of tall timber be decided is the best option for the interleague stage.

Echuca, Kyabram, Benalla, and Shepparton United are the best represented in the squad with six members each, while Mansfield and Seymour have five players selected.

The GVL had faced the Ovens & Murray league in the past three interleague encounters before the north-east border league announced the Bendigo Football Netball League as its 2026 opponent.

The GVL under-19s will also be on the hunt against their new opponent, with Ramadan Yze spearheading the young guns once again.

The thirds squad was named alongside their senior counterparts, with a further five Saints included in the junior squad, as Connor Breheny, Sam Gates, Max Smyth, Xavier Wapling and Hamish Wilett all make their case for selection in the final side.