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Ash-Wilson Trophy | Big out for GVL ahead of Saturday’s clash

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Late out: GVL will be without a key player this weekend. Photo by Aydin Payne

The battle for interleague supremacy heats up this weekend between Goulburn Valley League and Ovens and Murray League.

But GVL will have to attempt to wrestle the Ash-Wilson Trophy back from its fierce rival without a key cog.

Benalla’s Josh Marchbank, who has racked up 288 hit-outs ― and 84 to advantage ― in the first six rounds of the season will not play in Albury on Saturday despite being named in the squad.

“It’s great for Josh to get recognised, I think he’s clearly the best ruckman in the competition and I think most teams and coaches would agree with that,” Saints co-coach Will Martiniello said.

“With the hit-outs he’s getting it’s quite amazing what he’s doing for us.

“(But) he won’t be playing, he needs the week off with a sore back.

“He probably shouldn’t have played on the weekend, but that’s who Josh Marchbank is – he fought through pain and made the trip down to Echuca for us and did a really good job.”

Euroa’s Andrew Smith and Kyabram’s Zac Norris are the other two rucks named in the GVL’s squad.

Smith averages eight hit-outs to advantage a game this season among almost 29 a match, while Norris averages just short of 21 hit-outs a game, with more than five of those to advantage.

Norris’ best work comes mostly at ground level though, second in the GVL for clearances a game (10.4) and first for gathers (9.6).

Statistics thanks to GVL Data.