GSFL OPINION: The star performances of Matt Palfrey and Zach Jackson were worth the price of admission

Footy is ever evolving and it seems like every year the rules and game styles continue to change but there still remains the opportunity for individual brilliance. We were treated to that last weekend in the Great Southern Football League with a couple of prime examples and it’s one of the reasons so many people love this game. Not for the first time and I’m sure not for the last, the extremely talented Matt Palfrey had his name up in the headlights. Palfrey led his club Railways to a grand final victory in September last year and in round three of their premiership defence he was at it again. It was hard to take your eyes off the former Claremont forward if you were at Retravision Stadium. The Tigers trailed early in the contest but once he got going it was hard to stop Palfrey wherever he went. Playing a mix of midfield and deep forward, Palfrey booted six goals to go with 25 disposals and seven marks to be the most influential player on the ground — and by some margin as well. His performance helped the Tigers erase a 17-point quarter-time deficit and win the grand final replay by 32 points. Palfrey’s ability to win the ball around stoppages and take strong contested marks and convert, showed why he’s played at a higher level. Perhaps the most impressive part was the fact he spent large parts of the time up forward opposed to Hamish McMorran, who most consider in the best couple of key defenders in the competition. Up the highway and a player who we’ve found out plenty about in the first couple of weeks had a real day out up forward. Zach Jackson is part of this exciting Mt Barker side, which seem up for any challenge at present. He is the older brother of Melbourne premiership player Luke Jackson but Zach is letting his own footy do the talking in the GSFL. An impressive debut in round one was soured when he grabbed at his hamstring late and a travelling player from Perth, most expected him not to roll out the following week against the Tigers. He played as a deep forward and came to life late, booting four goals to lead the Bulls to an inspired victory. Last week Jackson kicked a season-high 12 goals in the Bulls thumping 190-point victory at home. We all acknowledge Denmark-Walpole are struggling right now but at the end of the day you still have kick the goals and a bag of 12 is hard to come by. Jackson is clearly a talent and he’ll be one of the premium midfielders in the competition when fully fit. However, it is always a pleasure to watch a really good player go about their craft. Despite still being troubled by that hamstring, Jackson showed just how talented he is with a dominant day in front of the big sticks. These kinds of performances are why people pay their money at the gate. The quality of football in regional areas is sometimes underestimated and although both Palfrey and Jackson have played WAFL previously, we should celebrate having players like them here in the GSFL.