THE 2021 AFL Central West season is being officially launched this Sunday, April 18, in Parkes as the Panthers look to secure back-to-back Division 2 crowns.
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As part of the launch, all Men's and Women's teams will be in attendance, participating in a round robin carnival.
The Men's competition will be held at Northparkes Oval, whilst the Women's competition will be held on Spicer Park.
The carnival will serve as an opportunity for clubs to get their final pre-season preparations in place and serve as the first formal implementation of the new AFL laws that have been introduced for the 2021 Toyota AFL Premiership Season and all regional leagues.
More information, including a breakdown of each club's team nominations, and preferred club contacts will be circulated and the Home and Away fixture will also be officially launched.
AFL Central West Football Operations Manager, Casey White, is looking forward to getting preparations for the season underway.
"We thank the Parkes Panthers Australian Rules Football Club for their support of the season launch as our hosts and look forward to seeing some excellent Australian Football being played at the launch," said White.
The structure of the day will mean that there are games being played throughout the entire day (matches start at 11am and finish at 4pm).
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Reigning AFL Central West Division 2 champions Parkes Panthers are looking good for the upcoming season, according to coach Mitch Stubberfield, who will be ably supported in 2021 by skipper Pete Webb.
"We've lost almost 40 per cent from our premiership side last year, but we've gained five or six really quality players that are really lifting the group, so we are shaping up for the season quite nicely," he said at training this week.
"Young Tait Snaith has up from Barellan and Mark Salau, who played for Newcastle City, are both looking fairly impressive on the training track, and it's lifting the rest of the boys as they try to match them.
"Preseason has been going well, the boys have been working fairly hard, particularly on their fitness - so everyone is looking really sharp."
When it comes to Sunday's gala day, for Stubberfield it will all be about dusting off the cobwebs and ensuring everyone in the team is given a go to best prepare for the coming season and put on a show for the crowd.
"On Sunday we will just be looking to throw players around some different positions and give it a crack.
"We would love to see a good crowd get down there, I encourage everyone who is curious to come have a look and see if Aussie Rules is something they'd be keen to play," he said.
The women's side will also be in action, and they are still looking for more numbers - no experience necessary, just a willingness to come down and give it a crack.
To keep up to date on all things AFL CW in 2021, check out https://www.facebook.com/aflcentralwest/ or www.aflcentralwest.com.au. The Parkes Panthers Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ParkesPanthers.
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