By Tara Murray
The Ballarat Football League has named a 56-man squad as the league looks to return to the winners list in the 2019 Worksafe Community Championships.
After falling short to Goulburn Valley Football League on the MCG last season, the BFL will face the Hampden Football Netball League in a battle between seventh and eighth ranked teams at Mars Stadium on May 18.
The squad of 55, from which the final team will be chosen from on May 16, includes players from all 11 clubs.
Chris Stuhldreier, who takes over from Shane O’Loughlin, will coach this year’s team.
Stuhldreier, who is currently involved at Bacchus Marsh, has previously been involved with the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL and the Vic Metro under-18s.
Among those named in this year’s squad, are Chris’s two sons Riley and Nick Stuhldreier.
The two are among the seven Bacchus Marsh players named in the squad. Last year’s Henderson Medalist Daniel Burton is in the squad along with Jake Owen, Aaron Willitts, Harrison King and Tom Brownbridge.
Last year’s runners-up Melton has eight players named in the squad.
Shaun Campbell, Jaycob Hickey, Liam and Ryan Carter, Lachlan Walker and Billy Crofts join co-captains Braedan Kight, and Ben Archard in the squad.
Darley brothers Brian and Nick Graham are another set of brothers that could both be selected in the final team.
Brian Graham has been one of the standouts for the league the last couple of years, named best on ground in the BFL’s win against Bendigo in 2017.
Experienced Devils duo Darren Leonard and Shane Page are also in the squad.
Some Sunbury young guns are among six Lions players selected in the squad.
Mitch Conn and Lachlan Bramble, who were part of last year’s team, are in the squad along with Dylan Landt.
Daylan Kempster, Alik Magin and Grant Valles have also been named.
Three Melton South players Dylan Conway, Dale Houghton and Lachlan Watkins have been selected.
The rest of the squad is Ballarat’s Lachy Dawson, Marcus Powling, Andrew Hooper, Nicholas Weightman, Keegan Mellington and Daniel Kennedy, East Point’s Matt and Jordan Johnston, Jacob Brown, Joel Ottavi, Michitya Rotumah-Onus and Jake McQueen, Lake Wendouree’s Bailey Edwards, Scott Carlin, Arthur Armstrong, North Ballarat’s Josh Chatfield, Will Young, Cam McCullum, Daniel Jones, Ryan Hobbs and Ben Simpson, Redan’s Lachlan McLean and Liam Hoy and Sebastopol’s Geoff Lovett, Tobias Thoolen, Lachlan Cassidy, Luke Kiel, Matt Austin.
