Dan Clohesy among large group fighting for maiden BFNL inter-league jumper

With a five-year break since the league's last inter-league clash in 2019 and the exit of a number of seasoned stars from the initial 61-man squad, the 22 coach Ashley Connick rolls out on Saturday is expected to be inexperienced in inter-league terms.

In the current 33-man squad, only Golden Square skipper Jayden Burke and Gisborne forward Pat McKenna played in the BFNL's 99-point demolition of Outer East in 2019.

That doesn't mean this side will be lacking quality.

In fact, Saturday represents the first opportunity this generation of BFNL stars largely gets to showcase their skills in representative footy.

Clohesy is one of those itching to prove his worth at the next level.

While the final selection is still to come on Thursday night, the Storm inside-bull is expected to be part of the BFNL's midfield rotations on the day.

Clohesy told the Bendigo Advertiser what the return of inter-league meant to him and his teammates.

"It's been quite a layoff for inter-league, so finally getting the opportunity to play with blokes I've been competing against for the past few years is really exciting," Clohesy said.

"I hadn't thought about it much until it was announced this pre-season that there would be inter-league, but it's definitely a box I want to tick in my career, so hopefully, I can get selected, as it will be a nice little milestone for me.

"When they did announce we had this two-year contract to play the VAFA, I could clearly see it gave a lot of players that little bit of extra motivation to put their best foot forward.

"Especially us younger ones - and we're a young group at Strathfieldsaye - because we haven't had this chance yet."

The reigning Storm best and fairest strength centres around his contested ball winning capabilities.

Clohesy could line up alongside Golden Square gun Ricky Monti, Storm teammates Matt Harvey and Lachlan Gill, and the BFNL's best player, Lachlan Tardrew, at the coalface.

It's a mouth-watering proposition for Clohesy, who can't wait to get a first-hand view of how the very best go about their business.

"There's a lot of talent in the side, so it's a great opportunity for me at training in particular, to pick up on a couple of things from other players to help my own game improve when we return to club footy next week," Clohesy said.

"By all reports, Elsternwick Park is a pretty small oval, so it should be a very contested game which suits me and my slow legs.

"Contested footy is my strength, so if I am selected, hopefully, it's in that inside midfielder role.

"Selfishly, I'd love that, but there are a lot of unreal contested players in our squad, so if another job pops up that the coaching staff would prefer me in, I'm more than happy to put my foot forward for that.

In a star-studded Storm midfield, Clohesy leads his team for average clearances per game with 7.75, contested possessions per game with 14.38 and averages 33.38 disposals overall.

He has played eight games in 2024 and collected 25 or more disposals in each of them.

"I feel my form is pretty good currently," Clohesy said.

"I missed rounds nine and ten through a minor calf tear but returned on the weekend.

"Other than that setback though, I think I've had a fairly consistent year.

"It helps to have such a strong midfield around me, including Harvey, Gill, Riley Wilson, Bode Stevens and Caleb Sheahan.

"Because we've got so many who can go through there, it takes the pressure off me."

The Storm had the most players remaining of any BFNL club in the inter-league training squad following Monday's first round of cuts with eight.

Clohesy is hopeful most of the Storm boys can make the final side.

"Playing together in an inter-league side is something we've spoken about a little bit," Clohesy said.

"I'm not sure what the plans are if we're getting a bus as a group or car-pooling, but I'm tipping a pretty fun return trip if a few of us make the team."

The BFNL take on the VAFA at Elsternwick Park from 2.10pm on Saturday.