From Hobart Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs
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THE already inexperienced TSL team has a huge hole to fill after the withdrawal of arguably the state's most skilled player, Clarence captain Cameron Thurley.
Thurley, a former Geelong and North Melbourne utility as well as a Devils veteran, underwent groin surgery in the off-season and has to manage the injury to get through the year and avoid the doctor's knife again.
He informed state coach Adam Sanders of his withdrawal yesterday.
But the injury precaution is not the only reason.
"Obviously, the state team you pick the best team at that stage of the year but I also agree with giving that age group an opportunity to show their wares," Thurley said.
"As someone who has had their time in the sun at AFL level, if I was to take someone's chance who could potentially show something in that game and put their name up in lights I would be disappointed if I took their spot.
"And by the end of last year I was having jabs to play leading up to the operation.
"The surgeon basically said I need to keep it under control this season because the chances of it recurring was high if I didn't look after it."
Thurley co-captained the last TSL side that was heavily beaten by Queensland on the Gold Coast in 2010 and, at 30, acknowledged this was probably his last chance to wear the famous map jumper.
He said the state faced a huge challenge against the VFL, with or without him, on May 26 at Blundstone Arena.
"I know what it takes to play VFL footy and certainly when you put their best VFL team together, it is certainly going to be a pretty formidable outfit," he said.
"I would hate to think what the margin will be but strange things can happen when you put on the representative jumper, so who knows?"
There has been wide criticism of the 38-man squad selected, which has taken a youth pathway at the expense of some of the league's more mature, better-known players, but Thurley believed the final team would be strong.
"The 22 will be pretty good. I think 'Sando' and the rest of the coaches will pick a team that is in form," he said.
"If you look at the squad, yeah, there are some gaps that they have missed, but when you see the final 22 that will represent Tassie ...
"They will be the most in-form boys going around and worthy of that jumper."
