2022 Kia Australia WA State Squad Named

The West Australian Football Commission is pleased to announce the players in the squad who are up for selection to represent the state in the 2022 Kia Australia WAFL State Team.
With the opportunity to don the famous Black and Gold, 35 of WAs most talented footballers have been selected from WAFL clubs.

Western Australia is scheduled to play South Australia at Optus Stadium on Sunday 15 May, with a strong desire to reclaim the Haydn Bunton Cup after losses in 2019 and 2021.

With a strong coaching team, including, Head Coach Cam Shepherd, Midfield coach Beau Wardman, Backline coach Adam Pickering, Forwards coach Garry Moss and Bench Coach Mark Tilbury, the team is very well placed to perform at their best.

Head Coach Cam Shepherd spoke of his team following their selection in the state squad.

“We have defenders who have it in their DNA to defend first and foremost and we’ve also added players who provide speed and rebound and that’s a winning combination,” he said.

“Through our midfield we have guys who are physically strong and can hunt the footy, while also enabling balance on the outside with speed and flair,”

“Our ruckmen are physically combative with our opponents and our forward line consists of three to four key pillars who will work seamlessly with our smaller players to provide pressure and great ability to hit the scoreboard.”

Shepherd said there are a lot of big names and new names to look out for in the line-up.

“We have a great mix of experience in our list, we have the experienced guys like Kitchin, Jupp, McInnes and some really bold young guns in Martinis, Pegoraro, Thorne and Florenca to name a few.”

Executive Manager of WAFL and Talent, Scott Baker, said the players selected in the 2022 squad have proved themselves with strong pre-season and Round 1 form.

“The coaches have had a very keen eye over preseason, going to games, observing players and what skills and attributes they can bring to the team,” he said.

“It’s never an easy decision with the immense talent in WA and the players should be very proud of their achievement in being named in the squad.

It is a fantastic accomplishment to represent the state and I’m excited to see their talent develop and be on show for the game against South Australia in May.”

The squad will train together over the coming weeks with the final team selection on 11 May, ready for the game at Optus on 15 May 2022.

Full squad list:

Last Name

First Name

Club

Position

AINSWORTH

Brayden

Perth

Midfielder

BELL

Blair

Peel Thunder

Forward

BLACK

Aaron

West Perth

Midfielder

BLECHYNDEN

Tom

South Fremantle

Midfielder

BRAYSHAW

Hamish

East Perth

Midfielder

BYRNE

Corey

Perth

Forward

DELAHUNTY

Lachlan

Subiaco

Ruck/ Forward

DEWAR

Angus

Subiaco

Defender

EARDLEY

Cameron

East Fremantle

Defender

FISHER

Sam

Swan Districts

Midfielder

FLORENCA

Jake

South Fremantle

Defender

GIRO

Stefan

Subiaco

Midfielder

GUADAGNIN

Zac

West Perth

Defender

HANCOCK

Ben

Peel Thunder

Midfielder

HARRIS

Chad

Subiaco

Midfielder

JONES

Scott

East Perth

Ruck

JUPP

Matthew

East Fremantle

Defender

KEITEL

Tyler

West Perth

Forward

KITCHIN

Leigh

Subiaco

Midfielder

KNOTT

Keegan

West Perth

Forward

MANUEL

Alexander

Claremont

Forward

MARSH

Jonathon

East Fremantle

Forward

MARTINIS

Lachlan

Claremont

Forward

McINNES

Fraser

Perth

Forward

MEADOWS

Luke

West Perth

Midfielder

MOUNTFORD

Declan

Claremont

Defender

MSANDO

Jacob

East Perth

Defender

PEARSON

Chad

South Fremantle

Defender

PEGORARO

Noah

West Perth

Defender

ROGERS

Bailey

Claremont

Midfielder

SOKOL

Ben

Subiaco

Forward

STROM

Noah

South Fremantle

Defender

TEAKLE

Brynn

East Fremantle

Ruck

THORNE

Tyrone

Peel Thunder

Forward

TURNER

Jesse

Swan Districts

Midfielder