The Cats have named a very strong line up that includes 2012 VFL Premiership Captain Troy Selwood, who has recovered from a shoulder injury sustained against Port Melbourne in Round 18.
Selwood is joined on the list of inclusions by AFL/VFL premiership ruckman Trent West, small defender Jed Bews and VFL listed duo Jack Hollmer and Mitch Herbison.
St Joseph’s big man Lachlan Howe has replaced Dane McFarlane as the Cats 23rd player for the all important clash. Howe, played 3 matches as the Cats 23rd player late in the season and impressed both in the ruck and as a key position forward.
Other than McFarlane, AFL elevation Josh Hunt is the only other confirmed ‘out’ from the side that defeated the Casey Scorpions by 49 points in the 1st Qualifying Final at Simonds Stadium.
While it is a match that many believe will be won and lost through the midfield, the Cats look to have no shortage of aerial power up front after naming a four-pronged attack of Joshua Walker (196cm), Shane Kersten (190cm), Ryan Bathie (198cm) and Joel Hamling (194cm).
After going into last week’s VFL semi final perceived by many VFL pundits as the ‘outsiders’, Williamstown thrashed VFL powerhouse club Port Melbourne by 87 points on their home deck. It was a stunning performance that sent a powerful message to the rest of the 2013 premiership contenders – Williamstown are the real deal.
The Peter German coached Williamstown side seem to have the perfect mix of experience and youth throughout their current line up. Experienced campaigners such as skipper Ben Jolley, Brent Prismall and Jamie McNamara are combining forces with exciting youngsters such as William Wheeler, Edward Carr Jack Johnstone and Anthony Anastasio to form a lethal combination.
It is a fantastic sign for the future of the proud Williamstown club who are in their final year of an alignment with the Western Bulldogs.
Bulldogs listed players Jason Tutt, Tom Campbell, Mark Austin, Lin Jong, Fletcher Roberts, Daniel Pearce and recently delisted duo Patrick Veszpremi and Lukas Markovic have all been named in the 27 man squad.
Whenever the VFL Cats have been competing in the finals over the past decade, Cats fans have always flocked to the games in huge numbers to support their young players and this weekend will be no different.
The Geelong VFL side were completely blown away (and somewhat unprepared!) by the level of support they got for the first home final at Simonds Stadium two weeks ago - nearly 6000 passionate fans flocked to the game to support the Cats and a similar sized army is tipped to converge on North Port Oval this Saturday and turn the terraces into a sea of blue & white.
For those looking to get to the ground early, the VFL Development League Grand Final between Williamstown and Box Hill will commence at 10.45am and promises to be a terrific contest.
For all the Cats supporters that cannot make it to North Port Oval on Saturday, the match will be televised on the ABC from 2.00pm and broadcast on K-Rock (95.5FM) from 1.00pm. You can also join the official live chat with Cats VFL writer Nathan Kettle from 2pm by clicking here.
Admission Details:
Adults: $15.00
Concession: $10.00
Children Under 12: Free
Bendigo Bank Cats – Preliminary Final Selected Side
B: Cameron Eardley, Matthew Sully, Jed Bews
HB: Jackson Sheringham, Mitchell Brown, Jackson Thurlow
C: Jordan Murdoch, Troy Selwood (C), Billie Smedts
HF: George Burbury, Joshua Walker, Jesse Stringer
F: Ryan Bathie, Shane Kersten, Joel Hamling
R: Trent West, George Horlin-Smith, Jordan Schroder
I/C: Brad Hartman, Dominic Gleeson, Mark Corrigan, Ben Raidme, Jaxson Barham, Jack Hollmer, Andrew Banjanin, Mitch Herbison, Lachlan Howe (23rd Player).
