Around The Leagues: Bulls stalwart gets life membership, local pair in flag pursuit and hungry Eagles in UGSFL

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. Milestone to remember for Pav One of the good guys in footy reached a major milestone last weekend. Mt Barker stalwart and resolute defender Lee Pavlovich received life membership after running out in his 175th league game for the club on Saturday. Pavlovich has been a mainstay with the club over the past decade and one of several Bulls desperately chasing an elusive league premiership. The Bulls thumped North Albany in round nine and Pavlovich snuck forward from his regular spot in the back half to kick a final-quarter goal in the 123-point result. Teammates came from everywhere to celebrate the moment with Pavlovich and he was chaired off the ground post-game on his special day. He is the latest Bull to reach the 175-game mark since Luke Hammond in 2022. The Bulls are mounting a serious claim to be premiership contenders this season, sitting third on the ladder but just one game adrift of ladder leaders Albany. The two sides face off in a showdown that highlights round 10 this Saturday. Next chapter in Tiger history ready to be written Former Great Southern Football League Women’s best and fairest winners Laura Cinanni and Taylah Orzel are eager to lift a maiden WAFLW premiership on Sunday. After being named the league’s best, Orzel (2022) and Cinanni (2023) made the move to the WAFL and have played key roles in the Tigers’ push for a second premiership in three years. Going up against East Fremantle in the big dance for a third successive year, the Tigers are out to go ahead in the ledger 2-1. A contested beast, Cinanni will play a role inside the engine room and on the half-forward line, while Orzel will provide speed and skilful disposal on the outside. Cinanni was part of the Tigers’ preliminary final win last week but Orzel missed the clash through injury. Both Great Southern products were named on an extended interchange for the Tigers when teams were announced on Thursday. The grand final will be played at Pentanet Stadium and starts at 2.05pm on Sunday. Eagles are still the team to beat Boddington reminded the rest of the Upper Great Southern Football League competition that they are still the team to beat. The Eagles thumped Williams by 58 points in the top-of-the-table clash on Sunday to move a game clear on top of the ladder. Despite serious knee injuries to Maxx Della France and Lewis Gillespie, the Eagles are still flying. They were far too good for Williams in Williams and rolled out some new faces in the process. Harry Ellis and Zak Pretty, both who have played there previously, returned for the Eagles while Matt and Mitch White were also notable inclusions. Ellis and star forward Lloyd Padwick combined for 10 goals, ruckman Riley Smith continued his brilliant season and Harry Cabalzar was also influential in the Eagles’ seventh win of the season. The Cats remain in second spot and Wickepin are third while there are just four points separating fourth to seventh on the ladder. Blight meets friendly Freo foes Albany-raised Jacob Blight will come face-to-face with familiar opponents this weekend when Richmond lock horns with Fremantle at Optus Stadium on Saturday night. Drafted out of Peel Thunder, the Dockers’ WAFL affiliate side, the 22-year-old defender will tackle former teammates when he lines up on Fremantle’s rising young key forwards Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy. Blight rightfully held his spot in the Tigers’ side for their Saturday night blockbuster in front of his home crowd after proving he has what it takes to grapple with the league’s best. In his AFL debut last weekend, the athletic 196cm intercept defender was met with perhaps the most feared forward line in the competition. Carlton boasts the lethal two-pronged attack of 2021 Coleman medallist Harry McKay and 2024 Coleman frontrunner Charlie Curnow. Standing by contested marking beast McKay for most of the match, Blight held his own gathering 11 touches, making numerous spoils and keeping his direct opponent scoreless in the opening half. Bouncedown is scheduled for 6.10pm on Saturday with more family and friends expected to cheer Blight on from the stands in his hometown return. Cruel blow for Kalin News that no footballer wants to hear is that their season is over. Denmark-Walpole junior and Brisbane Lions project ruckman Kalin Lane has had his season ended by a serious knee injury. The 22-year-old has not played an AFL game since joining the Lions in the 2021 mid-season draft but recently chalked up 50 VFL games. Lane went down in the Lions’ VFL win over Coburg on Saturday, leaving the field at the start of the third term and scans on Monday afternoon confirmed he had ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. It is a shocking blow for the 205cm big man who comes out of contract with the club at the end of this year. Lane has played more as a forward in the VFL this year, kicking nine goals in 12 games. Got a footy story from our region to share? Email cameron.newbold@albanyadvertiser.com

Around The Leagues: Bulls stalwart gets life membership, local pair in flag pursuit and hungry Eagles in UGSFL

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