GSFL 2023: Minor premiers Albany hoping to regain key players for qualifying final showdown with Railways

Albany are hopeful of regaining key quartet Kane Pinney, Fraser Eaton, Connor McCandless and Harry Hordacre as they chase a direct path to a second consecutive Great Southern Football League grand final. The Sharks claimed their first minor premiership in the GSFL and host Saturday’s qualifying final as a result, coming up against the premier of the past two years. Pinney, Eaton, McCandless and Hordacre all missed the Sharks final round loss to Mt Barker. Their side will be bolstered by the inclusion of Pinney and Eaton while McCandless and Hordacre remain 50-50 for the intriguing final with the Tigers at Retravision Stadium. Sharks coach Jamie Ramm is expecting the midfield battle to play a key role in a game his side is hungry to win. “We kind of see it (as) a must-win, at the end of the day you have to win one of these games and of course you’d always like to win this one and go straight into the grand final,” he said. “Their midfield is really big and strong, it’s a lot bigger than ours which is still a bit young. I think that’s going to be a massive task for us, they played really well in there last time we played, it’s definitely going to be our biggest challenge.” Star midfielder Isaac Baum injured himself at the country championships but has played in the final two rounds of the season. “Isaac (Baum) has come up quite good actually, we didn’t play him full-on last week but we’re pretty happy with how he’s tracking,” Ramm said. “We’ve got good players like Marlin (Bennett), Fraser Eaton etc to go through there, it will be two different styles of midfield playing against each other really.” Ramm said getting the monkey off their back with two wins against the Tigers earlier this season held them in good stead. “Last year when we played them in the grand final we hadn’t beaten them ever in history which wouldn’t have happened that many times, a team going into a game with that record,” he said. “To get over them the first time this year and then in the last game which was very close, it does show that we can do it and it’s a lot better of a position to be in. “But it still comes down to how well everyone is switched on, all the teams are pretty even with their full sides. “Between the four teams, pending injuries and who plays their best footy on the day, it will be very interesting. Tigers coach Mark Bayliss is focused on their qualifying final showdown, despite the talk of a historic three-peat of GSFL titles. Bayliss, who coached the last two premierships, said his attention was squarely on the task at hand. “We just have to keep ourselves honest about things and really make every opportunity count,” he said. “It’s more the game itself we’re focusing on at the moment, the three-peat will come if we’re good enough, it’s as simple as that. “There are two ways you can go, you get to the crossroads and you can forward or ease off, go back and not make it. “It’s just a matter of maintaining our momentum and making sure we play our honest brand and give 100 per cent on the day.” The Sharks recorded their first-ever win against the Tigers in round four earlier this season and were thrilling two-point winners in round 14. The Tigers were 29 points winners over the same opponent in last year’s grand final. Bayliss is expecting a full-strength team to play on the weekend with Logan Stubber making a successful return against Denmark-Walpole in the final round. Craig Frost and Matthew Van Schayk will be included after sitting out the round 15 win over the Magpies. “Both sides have got good players at every line, I think you have to make sure you get your match-ups right,” Bayliss said. “It will be a one-on-one sort of game where you have to beat your own player and hopefully the outcome will be in our favour. “We’ve never really too worried about putting attention into certain players but you have to keep an eye on them. “The big ground should suit both sides and hopefully we can come out on top, it’s a matter of if we work hard enough to do it.” Tigers defender Frost will celebrate his 150th league game in the match. Bouncedown is at 2.30pm on Saturday, the winner progressing to the grand final on September 2 while the loser faces a crunch preliminary final against either Royals or Mt Barker.