GSFL 2024: Albany star Bailey Taylor earns third straight State jersey in battle against South Australia

Wherever country star Bailey Taylor goes, success seems to follow. The freakishly talented Albany midfielder earned his third State call-up following an impressive campaign with the unbeaten Great Southern at the country football championships, marking his third consecutive title at the tournament. Taylor was the only player from Great Southern selected in the 22-man all-star squad and will travel with the 2024 New Holland Country WA State men’s side to face South Australia at Adelaide Oval on Sunday. The star-studded team features AFL talent including Geelong legend Harry Taylor (Great Northern) and his former teammate Timm House (Ongerup), Essendon’s Ben Howlett (South West), St Kilda’s Tom Lee (Avon) and Western Bulldogs’ Jayden Schofield (Great Northern). Kojonup-raised Tom Gorter (South West) will captain the side with Lee and Jake Nuich (Goldfields) serving as vice-captains. Taylor’s three-year stretch of country football supremacy started with a division one premiership in 2022 for South West, followed by a division three title in 2023 with Goldfields. Now playing for the reigning Great Southern Football League premiers the Sharks and having witnessed success everywhere he has travelled, the 24-year-old insisted he was the beneficiary of playing in talented sides. “I think I’ve been a bit lucky and I think I’ve fallen into some good sides who have been strong in each year but hopefully I’ve been a handy inclusion that has helped them get across the line,” Taylor said. “When I first started doing the carnivals, I didn’t even know (State selection) was a thing so it was a bit of a surprise the first time. “This will be my third (time) now, so I knew it was sort of a possibility and . . . it is rewarding to be acknowledged. “It was good to get to know a lot of the players from the other (GSFL) sides because I’m new to this league and I wasn’t familiar with a lot of the team, but now I’m good mates with them.” Despite trailing the Croweaters 7-3 in the head-to-head record, Taylor said his side was firmly eyeing back-to-back victories on Sunday afternoon following last year’s victory in Perth. “We really want to get the win,” he said. “They beat us last time in South Australia and we got them last year in Perth so it will be a lot of fun if we can get the win. “I can’t wait (to play) because I know quite a lot of players from having moved around in the different leagues, so I’ll be able to catch up with my old housemate Andy (Higgins) from Kalgoorlie.” Boasting sheer size, strength and athleticism, Taylor says he hopes to add a bit of grunt and physicality in the midfield. “The last couple of times I’ve been more of a backman or a wingman and I think this year I’m more likely to be in the middle or forward,” he said. “So it’ll be interesting to play a bit of a different game and I’m really looking forward to it. “I think I’ve played a lot more of a physical game this year than I have in the past, I’ve tried to work a bit in the gym and get a bit heavier to play in the middle so it feels like a completely different game to what I was playing last year.” Studying medicine, practical placements have taken the aspiring doctor to regional teams around the State and after landing at Albany in 2024, Taylor said he relished the opportunity to travel to regional parts of WA to play footy. “I’m a medical student at the moment and I’ve been doing my doing my prac in rural towns,” he said. “I was based in Perth for a couple of years, and I was travelling down to play in the South West and in the Peel leagues and then I moved out to Kalgoorlie, to a year of practice out there. “This is my last year of uni, so had the opportunity to come down to Albany and it’s been awesome.” The State Country game — a curtain raiser for the round 20 AFL match between Adelaide and Hawthorn — starts at 11.20am and will be live-streamed on SANFL Now. 2024 New Holland Country Men’s State team Dylan Clarke (Kalgoorlie City/Goldfields) Ben Howlett (Donnybrook/South West) Kim Schofield (Chapman Valley/Great Northern) Todd Kenny (Dandaragan/Central Midlands Coastal) Mitch Tenardi (Busselton/South West) Ben Rushforth (Quairading/Avon) Daniel Acres (Kalannie/Central Wheatbelt) Koby Fullgrabe (Cunderdin/Avon) Kaidyn Fullgrabe (Cunderdin/Avon) Liam Creighton (Busselton/South West) Andrew Higgins (Boulder City/Goldfields) Blake Morrissy (Halls Head/Peel) Jayden Schofield (Chapman Valley/Great Northern) Cooper Clarke-Dehring (Donnybrook/South West) Bailey Taylor (Albany/Great Southern) Tom Gorter (South Bunbury/South West) Brett Blair (Boulder City (Goldfields) Jake Nuich (Boulder City/Goldfields) Harry Taylor (Northampton/Great Northern) Guy Langdon (Dampier Sharks/North Pilbara) Tom Lee (Quairading/Avon) Ben Boultbee (York/Avon) Timm House (Gnowangerup/Ongerup) Coach: Michael Griffiths