Around The Leagues: Strong connection to Sir Doug Nicholls Round, milestone for stalwart Shark & lethal Lewis

The Advertiser brings you Around The Leagues, taking a look at football stories of players and personalities from the Great Southern, Ongerup and Upper Great Southern regions. Our strong connection to Sir Doug Nicholls Round The Great Southern has a strong connection to Sir Doug Nicholls Round as the AFL celebrates the excellence and the contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the game. This is the 10th year the league will hold the round in honour of Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls, held across round 10 and 11 of the 2025 season. The round will start in Darwin on Thursday and was officially launched on Tuesday by AFL chief executive Andrew Dillon alongside Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree Stephen Michael. Michael was born in the Wheatbelt town of Wagin and grew up in the Great Southern town of Kojonup before embarking on an incredible football career. He played 243 matches for South Fremantle, won two Sandover medals, the South Fremantle fairest and best five times and represented WA on 17 occasions. His impact has been just as big off the field, currently a patron of the Stephen Michael Foundation which delivers a range of school and community-based programs to at-risk and disengaged youth people across WA. “The AFL is proud to recognise Stephen Michael’s contribution to Australian Football as our 2025 Sir Doug Nicholls Round honouree,” Dillon said. “Stephen’s legacy both on and off the field in WA has had a huge impact on not only his peers, but the next generation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Like all our previous honourees, Stephen is a brilliant example for how footy can be a vehicle for leadership and community good.” Mt Barker’s Arthur Jones has also been part of the build up to the significant fortnight as he was among players who were at a launch in Melbourne this week. Jones is a proud Noongar man and wore the Western Bulldogs 2025 First Nations guernsey at a media gathering alongside fellow Victorian-based players. The Bulldogs wore the guernsey in last Saturday’s loss to the Gold Coast Suns in Darwin and will host the inaugural Marngrook game at Marvel Stadium against Essendon on Saturday. At the launch of the guernsey the Bulldogs detailed the WA product’s connection to the design. “Arty shares the red-tailed black cockatoo totem with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan,” the Bulldogs said. “32 cockatoo footprints represent his playing number, alongside his Yamatji totem, the black bream. “The people symbols credit his parents and three sisters.” Jones has featured in only two senior games for the Bulldogs this season but was a travelling emergency last week and didn’t play in the VFL. The longest serving Shark reaches historic milestone It was a special moment for Zac Pearson on Saturday, creating a new piece of history for the Albany Sharks Football Club. Pearson became the first player to receive life membership at the Great Southern Football League club, after reaching 150 league games. The Sharks were founded in 2008 and joined the league competition in 2012 with Pearson moving from Railways in 2013 to join the newly formed outfit. He was part of the club which endured years of pain, winning just two games in the first nine years of their existence as a league side. An underrated goalkicker, Pearson has played a mix of reserves and league in the past two years but was not part of either league premierships. He played in a losing reserves grand final team for the Sharks in 2022 but has played the first three games with the league side this year. Pearson ran out through a banner in front of family and friends and kicked a goal in his milestone game before being chaired off and showered in the middle of the team song after his Sharks produced a powerful 82-point win over Royals to remain unbeaten so far in the new season. Lethal Lewis racks them up for the Doggies There was no messing about from Gnowangerup star Lewis Davis who had the ball on a string in round four of the Ongerup Football Association. Broadcast company Classic Clashes was in Jerramungup for the Bulldogs and Jerramungup clash on Saturday. Davis was awarded best on ground honours in his side’s 18-point win over the previously undefeated Eagles. Classic Clashes also produces player stats from the games they film and posted to social media about Davis’ stellar performance where he racked up a staggering 49 possessions. The Borden product, who played more than 50 WAFL colts and reserves games in a three-year stint with Claremont, is part of a formidable Bulldogs side in the OFA that also contains former Geelong-listed player Timm House. The Bulldogs sit on top of the ladder with three wins from as many games and are set to regain State country midfielder Fraser House later in the year from a serious knee injury. Got a footy story from our region to share? Email cameron.newbold@albanyadvertiser.com