Squad set to rule the rulers

The 1986 Navy Australian Football side: (back row L-R) Grahame Turnbull, Tony Thomas, Ken Mellowship, Ian Dickson, Robbie Pekin, Kevin Boulter (Dec), Tony 'Mervyn' Cocks, Col Franke, Tom Power, Ronnie Ratcliffe; (middle row L-R) Gibbsy, Stevenson, Bomber Brown, Spinner Crispin, Adam Harris, Unknown, Doug Cornish, Spike Llewellyn Jones, Greg Dalton, Ian Wheeler; (front row L-R) Rob Macleod, Ian McFarlane, Nick Jones, Bob Jeffries, Alfa, Billy McBride, Schulze, Robbie Bolton, Moose, Ratz Radalj, JJ Smyth.

The Royal Australian Navy Australian Football Association has named a squad of 60 players to vie for selection in the team to take on Army and Air Force in the annual Australian football national championship in Canberra from March 24-28.

With Army having won the Jim Smail Cup for the past 16 years, the Navy side is making one of its best preparations yet.

Under coach POCIS Jamie McGinley and assistant coach POCK Michael Oleksyn, Navy will aim to repeat the feat of the inaugural Navy side (pictured right) which won the first ADF national title in 1986.

Navy was also stung by its losses against both Army and Air Force in last year’s national championship, going down by 132 points against its traditional foe, Army.

A training camp for this year’s squad will be held at HMAS Harman from Wednesday, March 19 to Friday, March 21, culminating in a Possibles v Probables match.

The final team will be announced following the match and then introduced at the RANAFA-hosted "Legends Dinner" on the Friday night (details see Sports Noticeboard on P23).

Meanwhile the RANAFA is looking to fill in a few blanks in the names of its victorious national side from 1986.

Most of the side has been named, but if you can recall any of these faces, the Navy Australian football website (www.navyfooty.com.au) has a form for your submission.

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