Uppers trio Stewart, Schloithe, Panizza and Ongerup’s Bairstow part of strong WA Country team for State clash

Upper Great Southern and Ongerup will be represented in the WA State Country Men’s side that will host South Australia on Saturday afternoon. Three players from the Upper Great Southern and one from Ongerup will pull on the yellow-and-black jumper as WA look to reclaim the State Country Football Cup they lost last year in Adelaide. Katanning’s Kade Stewart and Haiden Schloithe will play for the team for the first time while Williams’ Simon Panizza makes his second appearance after being part of the 2022 team. Lake Grace-Pingrup star Luke Bairstow was also part of the 2022 WA Country side and will represent his State again this weekend. The New Holland WA State Country Team was named this week after selectors used the recent Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Football Championships to finalise their 23-man squad. A very experienced side has been named by head coach Kane Benson, including three players from successful division one team Avon. Kaidyn Fullgrabe, who won the division 1 best-and-fairest medal, is a key inclusion along with Central Midlands Coastal star Rhys Walters. Daniel Acres (Kalannie) has been named captain with former West Coast Eagles-listed player Tom Gorter (South Bunbury) named vice-captain. Benson said off-field support was a key decision-maker when selecting his leadership team, noting each player needed to relate to the different age groups playing in the side. “They have all played State football previously and have shown amazing leadership in previous games,” Benson said. “The leadership team are outstanding players across the three different lines on the footy field. “All three will help make changes on the run if needed, and more importantly they will give 100 per cent at every contest which will attract the other players to follow.” Stewart was a dominant figure for Upper Great Southern in the midfield of their country championships campaign while Schloithe was named in the carnival Allstars. Panizza played a key role in the middle for Upper Great Southern while in a tough division 1 campaign Bairstow was the key ball winner for Ongerup. The State game will be played as a curtain-raiser to the AFL clash between Fremantle and Sydney at Optus Stadium with bouncedown at 2.50pm. WA State Country Men’s Team 1. Dylan Clarke (Goldfields/Kalgoorlie City) 2. Kade Stewart (Upper Great Southern/Katanning Wanderers) 3. Kim Schofield (Great Northern/Brigades) 4. Rhys Waters (Central Midlands Coastal/Jurien Bay) 5. Jacob Green (Central Midlands Coastal/Cervantes) 6. Luke Bairstow (Ongerup/Lake Grace-Pingrup) 7. Daniel Acres (Central Wheatbelt/Kalannie) 8. Jordan Delbridge (Goldfields/Mines Rovers) 9. Kaidyn Fullgrabe (Avon/Cunderdin) 10. Jayden Schofield (Great Northern/Brigades) 11. Mitch Tenardi (South West/Busselton) 12. Simon Panizza (Upper Great Southern/Williams) 13. Haiden Schloithe (Upper Great Southern/Katanning Wanderers) 14. Thomas Baldwin (Eastern Districts/Narembeen) 15. Zac Trigwell (South West/Donnybrook) 16. Tom Gorter (South West/South Bunbury) 17. Bailey Taylor (Goldfields/Boulder City) 18. Jake Nuich (Goldfields/Boulder City) 19. Zac Pethybridge (South West/Busselton) 20. Guy Langdon (North Pilbara/Dampier) 21. Ben Boultbee (Avon/York) 22. Tom Gillett (Goldfields/Boulder City) 23. Jake Dowding (Avon/Kellerberrin-Tammin) Coach: Kane Benson