Colts star in shield three-peat

The Great Southern’s talented colts played a leading hand in the CBH Group Country Colts with a hard-fought 21-point win over the WA Amateur Football League colts in Perth last Friday night.

Royals trio Tom Baldwin, Hamish McMorran and Ben Watson, North Albany wingman Corey Hitchcock and Albany ruckman Stewart Davies were selected in the final squad of 23 for the annual clash, which resulted in the Country Colts retaining the Neil Judge Shield for the third straight year.

In the low-scoring contest at Fremantle Community Bank Oval, the Country Colts edged out the WA Amateur Football League in the final term, 7.10 (52) to 4.7 (31).

Big men Davies and McMorran, as well as Hitchcock on the wing, were named among the colts’ best in the win.The colts will face the State 16s Academy on June 10 before players turn their focus to their respective leagues and the Great Southern Colts Carnival.

After the colts match, the State Country side faded in the final term to lose by 24 points at the WAAFL under- 23s. The team featured Mt Barker key forward Daniel Parker, North Albany midfielder Jack McPhee and Jerramungup ruckman Jayden Brooks.

WA Country trailed by only a point at three-quarter-time but could only manage one goal in the final term as the WAAFL recorded a rare win in the annual clash.

Brooks booted two goals to be one of his side’s best while Parker booted an early major.

The trio remain in contention to make the final State Country squad for the clash with South Australia in July.