Young Sharks circling

by LES EVERETT

IT'S that time of the year again. The AFL national 18s carnival begins in Melbourne this weekend so that's where you'll find everyone with an eye for footy talent.

18 sharks

East Fremantle representatives in the WA 18s squad. Back (l-r): Josh Kennedy, Mitchell Clark, Ben Taggart & Patrick Ryder. Front: Alex Ciotti, Andrew Swallow, Leigh Conway & Garrick Ibbotson. Photo by Les Everett.

High hopes are held for the WA team under coach Gerard McNeill this year. There's height in the group, an element missing in 2004, and a number of the players have already played at league level in the WAFL.

Last year South Fremantle provided seven members of the WA squad. This year East Fremantle has gone one better.

The eight young Sharks in the touring party are: Leigh Conway (Rostrata), Alex Ciotti (Rossmoyne), Andrew Swallow (Rossmoyne), Josh Kennedy (Northampton), Patrick Ryder (Rovers), Mitchell Clark (Riverton); Garrick Ibbotson (Bullcreek Leeming) and Ben Taggart (East Fremantle JFC).

It's the first time East Fremantle has had eight representatives in the State 18s but there have been seven Sharks in three other squads and Michael Broadbridge's winning team in 1999 contained six.

Leroy Jetta and Clayton Collard are the South Fremantle players in the squad.

The players were presented with their guernseys at a function on Monday at Subiaco Oval at which Andrew Swallow was named WA captain.

The guest speaker was current Fremantle player and former WA 18s captain Luke Webster. Webster's story should be a sobering one for aspiring sportsmen. He didn't go into his personal footballing tale of woe when he addressed the 2005 players - he wished them well, told them to enjoy the experience and play as a team and noted that in the years ahead they may get the chance to play league footy in the WAFL or make it through to the AFL.

In 2000 Webster dislocated his knee in the first game of the 18s carnival and later had it reconstructed. He wasn't drafted.

Webster made his way back through the WAFL, was rookie listed by Fremantle and eventually made his AFL debut. Along the way he's endured two more knee reconstructions and is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury.

Some of the current group of WA 18s will be drafted this year. Some may even play in the AFL next season following on the same path as Hawthorn's Lance Franklin. Others will find themselves on other footy trials but they'll all be united by the memories of the 18s carnival of 2005.

WA lost its first game on Sunday at Princes Park against Victoria Metro.

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