PLAYERS will have extra incentive to perform in the opening rounds of the Gippsland League, with positions up for grabs in the Worksafe Country Championships team to contest the Country Victoria inter-league competition.
The GL will host the Yarra Valley and Mountain Football League at Moe on Saturday, 25 May to kick off its campaign, and is out to assert its dominance over the neighbouring league. GL general manager Chris Soumilas said the league was focused on an improved showing in light of its current standing in the state.
“We have had moderate success… over the past 10 seasons and our current ranking of nine is not acceptable,” he said.
“I have no doubt our home and away standard is as good as any league in the state but our performances at inter-league level do not reflect the high standard of our league”.
Hayden Burgiel has been reappointed to coach the senior team and is committed to getting the best out of the playing list. “A training schedule has been set and our selectors will be watching the first few rounds very closely to select a squad that can represent our league successfully; we want dedicated players that want and will perform at their best when it counts,” Burgiel said.
Training will begin on Wednesday, 15 May and once round six has been completed the sole focus will be on inter-league, with training to continue throughout the following week.
“Our players are at the top of their game and there is no doubt we are as good as anyone else, we need to work together and show all and sundry that in 2013 we mean business,” Soumilas said.
