Gippsland Power building towards 2023

GIPPSLAND Power are in the midst of another competitive preseason around the Gippsland region as many promising young footballers, both boys and girls, try their luck on selection.

The club is operating its preseason in four different areas, each with a budding group of local players and keen-eyed coaches. 

One such coach, from the Dalyston contingent Chris Terlich, was good enough to speak to the Sentinel Times post training last Friday night. 

“This preseason there have been four satellite groups training throughout Gippsland, with the Southern Gippsland group based in Dalyston,” he said. 

“They are training for four weeks leading up to the trial matches that are held next Sunday (December 18) in Morwell, this will determine the groups that will continue to train in the new year before the final squads are chosen for all teams in March.” 

Due to the wide reach of the southern Victorian NAB League club, they choose to operate preseason training this way, with ‘satellite’ groups in Maffra, Morwell, Dalyston and Garfield. 

Each group has its fair share of talent and numbers, including those who do their work at Dalyston which, according to Terlich has seen great numbers and quite competitive trainings so far. 

“There are 27 boys and 17 girls trailing for the Under 18s and Under 16s teams from throughout South Gippsland and the training quality has been very high,” he said. 

The South Gippsland cluster also boasts the services of three state level representatives, who will be hoping to lead the standard for the Power next season as Terlich explained. 

“This group includes three players who have already been selected in the Victoria Country initial squad Zane Duursma, Archer Reid and Xavier Lindsay,” he said. 

“Zane and Archer are also members of the NAB AFL Academy, where the 30 best 17-year-olds from across Australia participate in high performance and personal development programs.”

Duursma and Reid are already well-known names within the Gippsland Power setup, both having older siblings who’ve been drafted to the AFL from the Power in recent years and will again be prominent in 2023. 

But Lindsay burst onto the scene this season and has proven he’s got plenty to show himself. 

All three state representatives, as well as the rest of the Gippy’ Power hopefuls will be ultra-focused on putting the right foot forward in 2023, as they take the next step towards a chance at the top level. 

“This is the main pathway to becoming an AFL footballer, with the NAB League being considered the premier underage football competition in the country,” said Terlich. 

As for the South Gippsland region, to have over 40 junior players showing their skills at a Gippsland Power preseason, as well as three state representatives, shows the quality of junior football in the area is at a great level. 

The Dalyston squad held their two-kilometre time trial in last Friday night’s sun, as the boys all put in impressive times on the perfect Dalyston deck, they’ll strut their stuff in a set of trial games this Sunday at the Power’s home in Morwell.