GSFL OPINION: Young footballers in the region lucky to have a program like the Great Southern Storm

The performance of the Great Southern Storm at the Great Southern Colts Carnival last weekend underlines how strong the development program is. It was hard to predict how the Storm would fare at the carnival that is closing in its 100th edition but you know they will always be competitive at that level. As for winning, I had ruled that out given the youthfulness of the squad that included two 15-year-olds and a real lack of talented key position players. The fact the brightest prospect in the Great Southern Football League, 197cm teenager Lucas Ravenhill, couldn’t play due to State commitments also had me thinking it was just not going to be the Storm’s year. Now it’s not all about winning, but in a competitive environment like this, who are we kidding? The kids, the coaches and everyone involved want to win. It had been some time since the Storm claimed the title at this carnival, their drought stretching back to 2014. A young Declan Mountford can be seen in that winning team picture and now he’s the league captain at Claremont after a stint at AFL level with North Melbourne and a brief cameo for West Coast this year. Wins at these kind of carnivals don’t come easy but the Storm’s performance this year was top shelf. Under one of the most passionate coaches you’ll come across in Darrell Panizza and with a group of young men that were committed to the cause and steadfast on helping out their mates, the Storm swept all before them. There were some concerning signs at quarter time of the grand final as Goldfields skipped out to an early lead but the teenagers from the Great Southern weathered the storm and dominated from that point on to record a memorable 42-point triumph. It may not have been the most talented team the Storm have taken away to a carnival, but they made up for it in teamwork and effort. They were first to get over and help out their mates on the field and there was also this feeling of never surrender and fight till the very end. What they did worked and I was happily proven wrong, this young squad had what it took to win the carnival. One thing I really love about representative football, especially at colts age, is what teams can unearth when they go away and compete. Ryley Valli has played some really good games in the GSFL but his three games at Lake Grace were off the charts. I have spoken about the talent Clay Michael has and he’s showed glimpses, but 13 goals in three games suggests he may be headed for bigger things. The ruck was an area of concern for the Storm heading in and they found something in Will Cousins, who stood tall in some crucial moments. Seb Ballard is a bull and he intercepted, broke lines and set up play like a 30-year-old veteran. For his size Kobi Keen does amaze me and he didn’t turn his toes up at being sent into defence, instead he was close behind Valli as the most influential player when it mattered most in a grand final. The win will give much belief to this group going forward to their next carnival in Perth but for mine it just reiterates how effectively the Storm program operates. Winning is great but creating a talent pathway for those who want to reach the next level is paramount. Take a look at the recent success stories from the region and their links to the Storm. Kalin Lane and Arthur Jones found their way on to AFL lists last year, products of the Storm. As mentioned above, Mountford has become one of the most respected WAFL players in the game. The countless Great Southern players now mainly plying their trade across three grades for Claremont is staggering. Darcy Cameron is one of the in-form ruckmen in the AFL, pretty good for a player who plenty thought may struggle at the top level. Finally Jeremy McGovern, a four-time All Australian and elite intercept player who is now vice-captain of the Eagles. McGovern, who was a big part of the Storm program, is laid up in a hospital bed with broken ribs but still comments “well done lads” on the winning team photo on social media. This speaks volumes of the program, those involved and the outcome for someone like McGovern who went from the small beginnings in the Great Southern to one of the most lauded players in the game.