GSFL 2023: Railways and Albany set to face off in round 13 for chance at securing home qualifying final

Albany and Railways face off in a highly anticipated clash at Tigerland on Sunday as both sides vie for a top spot in a game likely to determine the minor premiership in the Great Southern Football League. With two rounds left to play in the home-and-away season finals are confirmed and the Tigers will square off with the Sharks in the qualifying final on August 19. The winner of that game will advance directly to the grand final while the loser will play in the preliminary final against the winner of the elimination final played between Royals and Mt Barker. The location of those fixtures is yet to be determined and the round 14 clash on the weekend will likely decide whether Sharks or Tigers secure the hosting rights for the qualifying final. Sharks coach Jamie Ramm said despite harbouring a desire to win on the weekend, he would take a long-term approach to the selection of his team on the weekend, prioritising injury management. Isaac Baum, Tait McLean and Marlin Bennett remain unlikely to play against the Tigers on the weekend. “You go into every game trying to win, it’s also about getting your strongest team out there come the end of the year,” Ramm said. “We won’t rush players back just for this game. “At the end of the day, we’re in a final and I’m actually not too fazed whether it’s at our home or theirs. “I’d love to have everyone out there but we have to make sure we have our strongest team in three weeks time. “We had a fair bit of luck with injuries earlier in the year and now we are having a bad run and so are Railways, it’s about getting everyone fit now.” Tigers coach Mark Bayliss is also lamenting the unavailability of several key players in the lead-up to finals. Mitch Green and Haydn Sproxton are sidelined with injury, while Matt Van Schayk, Jack Steel, Joel Want and Kobi Doust-Poumplin missed last week’s loss to the Lions. The Tigers lost Kleeman medallist Matt Palfrey in the off-season and Clay Michael as a result of a season-ending knee injury at the Great Southern Colts Carnival. The reigning premiers suffered another blow when Kleeman medallist Logan Stubber seriously injured his knee against the Bulls in round 12. He is likely to miss the remainder of 2023. “We’ve lost some key personnel during the season but so have other teams,” Bayliss said. “The side that has the least interruptions or injuries is the side that can go most of the way. “I’m getting my side ready for finals, we’ve got top-two and I think the club is on right track and we’ll be there at the end.” Former WAFL player Jack Beeck also played an integral role for the Sharks earlier in the season before moving overseas mid-season. In the other round 13 fixtures on Saturday the Lions play Denmark-Walpole at Retravision Stadium while the Bulls square off with North Albany at Sounness Park. The Lions are in pole position to secure a home final against the Bulls, sitting one game clear with superior percentage. Magpies’ Bradley Cochrane was handed a reprimand after he was reported for a low-impact strike on Darcy Wallinger in the fourth quarter of their 48-point loss to the Bulls at McLean Park last Saturday. It was not seen by the field umpires but one of the goal umpires brought the incident to their attention after the game. The GSFL initially offered Cochrane a one-game suspension but that was downgraded to a reprimand after an early guilty plea.