Gallery | Goulburn Valley League interleague team named to tackle VAFA

With 50 of the competition’s top-skilled stars at his hands to begin with, cutting the list seemed a mammoth task based on physical footballing attributes.

It’s why the Saints magnet mover took a somewhat left-field approach in finalising the GVL’s outfit for Saturday.

“There’s a lot of really talented players in the league that aren’t in this side,” Pearson said.

“The one thing that these guys all give us is that competitive edge.

“We’ve got some amazing offensive players in this league that get the ball moving, but the group that we’ve selected are here because of their defensive traits.

“Guys like Nick Warnock, I think this is going to be his 10th representative game, so he’s gonna wear this jumper with real pride, he’s doing it for his league.

“That’s what we look for - we look for the guys who are willing to put their body on the line for the jumper and not go through the motions.”

Players have flocked from all across the Goulburn Valley to vie for their spot in the team, a challenge that has been “unique” for Pearson.

But Pearson has determined form, connection and of course, that competitive streak, will be the key to making the best side.

“Unique is the best way to put it,” he said.

“They’re coming from everywhere... to get them all in one space has been tricky, but we’ve done a really good job of it and making sure we’re trying to build our connection pieces.

“(Connection) is the biggest thing, these guys don’t need to worry about footy, they’re here because they are the best of the best. They’ve just got to worry about learning how each other play.

“The boys felt like they didn’t have much connection with each other last year, and that comes down to a lot of different reasons.

“The interleague is a different beast, it’s a really tricky thing to navigate.

“So for us this year it was about connection, making sure when we rock up to the ground we know each other’s names and preferences and how we play, all that type of stuff.

“We didn’t just pick on reputation, there are guys in here that have cracked into this side because they’re in form - they might not have been here at the start of the season but have put together a significant block over the last month or two to put their hand up.”

When it comes to this weekend’s opposition, Pearson expects the bigger country frames will be the key to controlling the contest.

“The insight we’ve had is we’re going to have to win it at the source, use our bigger, more physical bodies and try beat them at the contest because we know they’re going to run.

“So for us it’s about stopping it at the source and defending the ground as best as we can... but also just having fun, we want the boys to enjoy the occasion and run out with a smile on our faces.”

The senior interleague match starts at 2:10pm on Saturday at Elsternwick Park, Brighton.