HE wasn’t even certain that would be selected, so Bathurst’s Shaun Noyen was thrilled to learn he will captain the Central West AFL squad tomorrow for their Matt Smith Memorial Shield title defence against Riverina North.

Tomorrow’s game at South Dubbo Oval will see Noyen and his team attempt to retain the title they took back last year for the first time since 2012.

Noyen is one of six Bathurst Bushrangers chosen – all coming from Rebels side.

The Bushrangers stalwart was surprised to hear he’d been given helm of the Mark Kennedy-coached outfit.

“It’s my first time captaining the team. It’s very exciting. I was only told I’d got the job on Monday and didn’t even think that I’d even made the cut for the team,” he said.

“It’s looking like a really strong side for us. We’ve got guys there like Mick Rothnie and Chris Rothnie from the Orange Tigers who always play well. There’s also four Parkes boys in there. I reckon we’ll be able to win it again.”

The captain will be joined by Rebels teammates Sam Kennedy, Tom Regan, Matt Griffin, Caleb Crowhurst and Tom Markey for the fixture, while Bathurst Giants also gain representation through Brendan Dyes.

Bushrangers player Jacob Davies has been named in the emergencies.

Noyen said last year’s Northern Riverina team appeared to be a little off their game and he expects them to be hungry for success in Dubbo.

“They’re always competitive, the Northern Riverina team. They just lacked a bit of shooting last year and I just think we were a bit more determined to win than they were. I reckon that they’ll be a lot more competitive this time,” he said.

“The midfield will be the biggest challenge for us, trying to clear the ball from there. I reckon across the rest of the field it’s going to be a very close game.

“I’m not sure what to expect from them. They’ve kept their cards close to their chest.”

Noyen wants the Central West side to not just play to retain the shield, but to show that the standard of AFL in the region is climbing.

“We want to show the rest of New South Wales that we’re the strongest country AFL region and that our football is the strongest,” he said.

“I’d say we’d have to be up there towards the top. We’re putting one of the best teams we’ve had out there. As we’ve seen with the [Central West AFL] draw the competition has been good.”

Action will get underway from 4pm.

CENTRAL WEST AFL: Shaun Noyen (c), Sam Kennedy, Tom Regan, Matt Griffin, Caleb Crowhurst, Tom Markey (Bathurst Bushrangers), Brady Bennett, Michael Rothnie (vc), Chris Rothnie, Luke Thorley, Mitch McKenna, Jamie Cox (Orange Tigers), Jarrod Pope, Cameron Elsley (Young Saints), Scott Goodyear, Dale Cameron, Jake Adams, Shane Apsey (Parkes Panthers), Jonathon Naden, Nick O’Sullivan (Dubbo Demons), Brendan Dyes (Bathurst Giants), Luke Le Page (Cowra Blues). Emergencies: Jacob Davies (Bathurst Bushrangers), Ben Madigan, Joe Hedger, Malachi Dutschke (Dubbo Demons).