FOUR Keilor players have made the Essendon District Football League’s 50-man preliminary interleague squad for the upcoming AFL Victoria Metro Championships.
Jamie Papalia, David Gourdis and Dylan Joyce will join the EDFL’s reigning Dick Reynolds Medallist, Andrew Browne, as the four Blues who may go on to represent the league against the Northern Football League in late March.
Former Greenvale and Pascoe Vale premiership player Denis Bicer will coach the EDFL team alongside assistants Dale Morris, Mark Budge, Tony Abboud, Matthew Egan and Marcus Barham.
“We know the Northern league has improved recently with its quality of players and recruits,” Bicer said.
“We’ve got to do our due diligence, get the best mix of our own players and form a game plan to our advantage.
“What’s most pleasing about the squad is there’s a strong mix of players who have represented all levels of football.”
Current Premier Division champion Greenvale has nine representatives in the squad, while Avondale Heights is also well-represented with eight.
Luke Cartelli, who this summer moved from Keilor to Avondale Heights, is also in the squad.
The squad will commence training in late February before the final team is announced ahead of the clash with the NFL.
The match will be the second of three interleague games at Visy Park on 29 March, with the Western Region Football League taking on the Southern Football League in the morning and the Eastern Football League playing the Victorian Amateur Football Association later in the afternoon.
