Around The Leagues: Lake Grace-Pingrup wear Indigenous jersey, Georgia Kowald retires, Jacob Blight AFL debut

The Advertiser brings you Around The Leagues, taking a look at football stories of players and personalities from the Great Southern, Ongerup and Upper Great Southern regions. Bombers don Callope-designed Indigenous jersey Ongerup Football Association’s Lake Grace-Pingrup will don an Indigenous guernsey designed by star forward Jackson Callope in Saturday’s match against Gnowangerup. Callope described on the club’s Facebook page that the design which adopts the club’s traditional red and black colours have deeper meaning to the Ballardog people of the Lake Grace region. “The Lungkura is a blue tongue lizard and is the animal I have put in my design,” he said. “They are seen all through WA but are quite popular around the Ballardong area. “The red is the land that we all stand on, the black is represented by our past, present and emerging Aboriginal people, and the yellow, which is on the back for our number, represents the sun which is the constant renewer of life.” The jersey, the first-ever jumper designed by Callope, also displays a symbol on the chest representing places where people come together signified by campsites, fireplaces, meeting places or ceremonial sites. The league’s top goal-scorer in 2023 and currently third in 2024, Callope will play a crucial role as his team hosts the ladder-leading Bulldogs on Saturday, with bouncedown at 2.15pm. In the other round 10 OFA fixture, reigning premiers Newdegate will tackle Boxwood Hill at home on Saturday at 2.15pm. Country football star hangs up the boots Katanning’s Georgia Kowald has officially hung up the boots after a short but storied career in country football across the State’s southern region. Kowald was rightfully chaired off through a guard of honour after her final match with South Bunbury in the South West Football League Women’s competition last Saturday. Fittingly for Kowald, her side walked away strong 9.12 (66) to nil victors against Eaton to keep them in the top four of the ladder. The dominant ruck’s career is highlighted by two WA Country State appearances, including the gripping 2024 draw against Perth Football League earlier this month, three WAFLW league games for South Fremantle and a 2024 Great Southern Football League Women’s premiership and grand final best-on-ground honours with Mt Barker. The 26-year-old’s career was unfortunately cut short after she recently underwent a third knee reconstruction. Jacob gets the green Blight Railways product and mid-season draftee Jacob Blight will be tasked with one of the toughest assignments in AFL when his dream is realised on Sunday afternoon. Running out onto the hallowed turf of the MCG in front of a jam-packed boisterous Tiger army, the 22-year-old will lock horns with arguably the best one-two punches in the league — Carlton’s two-pronged forward Tasked with one of the toughest jobs in the game, Blight will lineup in the backline against the Blues spearheads Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay. But after a scintillating start to his VFL career — averaging 19 disposals and eight marks in three matches — following his No.2 selection in the mid-season draft, Blight has displayed he has all the tools to compete at the top level. The 196cm versatile defender will suit up alongside hard-nosed Pingaring star Liam Baker and Katanning-born forward Shai Bolton. The news of Blight getting the nod to debut was played out on the Tigers social media this week, a special moment for the Great Southern product. Vision showed a great chat between him and coach Adem Yze and then phone calls to family and friends back home to share the news that he’ll be playing his first AFL game. Top of the table clash The stage is set for an Upper Great Southern Football League top-of-the-table clash when Williams square off against Boddington this weekend, with the winning moving clear at the top of the ladder. Both teams are locked on 24 points through seven rounds of football, yet the Cats hold a six per cent advantage over their rivals. The Cats are in red-hot form after a classy 45-point win over Wagin last weekend and have not lost since round one, which was at the hands of this week’s opponent. The Eagles will be hungry to rectify last week’s shocking 30-point upset loss — their first of the season — to Brookton-Pingelly. In the other games of the round, the Bulldogs take on Kukerin-Dumbleyung, the Panthers host Narrogin, and Wickepin play Katanning. All mates will be played at 2.30pm Sunday. Hamersley and Brown make PFL State team Great Southern products Kyle Hamersley and Harry Brown have been selected for the Perth Football League men’s State team to take on the Victorian Amateur Football Association on Sunday, July 7. Hamersley, hailing from Wagin, and Brown, from Jerramungup, have been consistent contributors to Curtin University-Wesley in the PFL this season. They will play in a double-header in Steel Blue Oval in Bassendean with the PFL womon’s side who also take on the VAFA. The women will kick off the action at 12.15pm, followed by the men at 2.20pm and both matches will be live streamed on Streamer. Cinnani in prelim push The 2023 Great Southern Football League Women’s fairest and best Laura Cinanni will help Claremont in their mission for a grand final berth when she lines up for the Tigers against West Perth on Saturday. The contested beast has been a key cog in the Tigers’ 2024 campaign averaging nearly 13 disposals and more than five tackles a game. The Tigers were made to play the WAFLW preliminary final after going down to East Fremantle last week in the qualifying final. Former Royals midfielder and 2022 GSFLW fairest and best winner Taylah Orzel has been named as an emergency for the match that starts at Revo Fitness Stadium on Saturday at 3.05pm. Got a footy story from our region to share? Email harry.grigson@wanews.com.au

Around The Leagues: Lake Grace-Pingrup wear Indigenous jersey, Georgia Kowald retires, Jacob Blight AFL debut

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