Country Championships: Ryan Hick and Buddy Robinson big inclusions for Great Southern Storm at colts champs

The Great Southern Storm colts’ hopes of division two glory at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Football Championships have received a major boost with the inclusions of Ryan Hick and Buddy Robinson. Denmark-Walpole gun Hick has overcome a foot injury to be fit to play after missing the Storm’s campaign at the Great Southern Colts Carnival in Lake Grace last month. Railways’ key forward Robinson also didn’t play in that country championships lead-up tournament but is among the 26-strong side that will travel to Perth this week. Hick, arguably the Great Southern Football League’s most promising young player, is a welcome inclusion to the Storm midfield who were outmuscled by a bigger and more experienced Eastern Districts team in the grand final at Lake Grace. Robinson will be the spearhead of the Storm’s front half, having kicked 17 goals in nine league games this season. Other inclusions from the side that fell short of title glory at the Great Southern Colts Carnival are Railways’ Devon Jefferis, Magpies’ Yuma Jones and Albany pair Declan Reid and Mason Webster. The Storm will be without Tarik Hartfield through concussion and Ashton Henrickson with a shoulder injury. Joel Gregory, Rory Sutherland, Nate Trichilo, Rowan Webster and Tyler Poultney have also come out of the team. Jamie Ramm will coach the Storm at the two-day championships. The CBH Group colts competition at the championships is played on Thursday and Friday, with the Storm in division two after being relegated from division one last year after going winless across their three games. They will face West Pilbara, Avon-Mortlock and Kimberley in division two. On Thursday at Guilford Grammar, Great Southern will tackle Kimberley at 11am, followed by a clash with Avon-Mortlock at noon and then round out their qualifying games against West Pilbara at 2pm. Finals in both division one and two will be played at Scotch College on Friday with the third and fourth play-offs first followed by the division two decider between the top two sides at 12.45pm. The division one grand final will be played at 3pm. Great Southern Storm squad Aiden Keen (North Albany) Harry Sedgwick (Albany) Marlon Mastalerz (Denmark-Walpole) Ryan Hick (Denmark-Walpole) Devon Jefferis (Railways) Lucas Smart (Railways) Taesjaun Woods (Albany) Beau Veldman (Railways) Tom Bradshaw (Albany) Ned Shepherd (Albany) Yuma Jones (Denmark-Walpole) Bailin Curtis (Railways) Mason Wester (Albany) Jacob Kelly (Denmark-Walpole) Darcy Roberts (North Albany) Clay Harrington (Albany) Declan Reid (Albany) Lindsay Dean Jnr (Royals) Henry Smith (North Albany) Hayden Leo (Railways) Ruben Stansbury (Railways) Ben Michael (Railways) Xavier Mitchell (Denmark-Walpole) Thomas Phillips (Royals) Buddy Robinson (Railways) Jonti Catterall (Railways)