South West footballers prepared to pull on the black and gold this weekend for State pride

The South West is well represented in Saturday’s State clashes with the WAFL and WAFLW coming up against South Australia, while the day kicks off with a talent showcase between the WA under-20s and WA under-18s at Sullivan Logistics Stadium. Dunsborough’s Stan Wright and Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault’s Ethan Hughes are both set to play their second State game while Scott Jones (Busselton) and Lauren Quaife (HBL) have been named for their third respective State clashes. Wright missed two weeks for East Perth with a calf complaint but returned for Saturday’s fixture against Peel where he was named among the best players. The midfielder is returning to the State team after missing out last year but after another fantastic season and solid start the 28-year-old still secured his spot. Since joining South Fremantle after being delisted from Fremantle at the end of 2024, Hughes has relished his time with the Bulldogs, being an integral part of his third WAFL league premiership and State appearance last year. This season Hughes has hit the ground running off halfback with 20 disposals and six marks a game. 205cm ruck Jones has only been getting better with age, winning East Perth’s best and fairest last season, and continuing his form into this season with 37 hit outs and 11 touches a game this year. Swan Districts’ Quaife has been in outstanding form to start the season averaging 27 hit outs for the undefeated Swans in four games played so far. In last year’s clash, Quaife finished with 19 hit-outs and 12 disposals in the Sandgropers’ eight-point loss at Adelaide Oval. Being named in the squad but missing out on final selection from the South West was Bridgetown pair Darcy Craven and Sam van Diemen and Donnybrook’s Scott Tuia. Ahead of the WAFL and WAFLW State sides taking on their South Australian counterparts at Sullivan Logistics Stadium, the under-20 team will come up against WA’s under-18s. State 18s squad members Leo Steed and Sheldon Pickett are both set to feature against fellow South West stars in the under-20s team, Dunsborough’s Fletcher Brown and Boyup Brooks Luke Hallett. The under under-20s and under-18s clash kicks off proceedings at 10.10am, followed by the WAFLW vs SANFLW battle at 12.40pm and the WAFL vs SANFL at 3.10pm, all at Sullivan Logistics Stadium.