Reigning Henderson Medallist Nathan Horbury will play for the Ballarat Football League at the MCG on Saturday after being released from VFL duties by Geelong.

BFL head coach Shaun O’Loughlin was informed late Friday afteroon that Horbury had been given the all clear to line up against Goulburn Valley in the AFL Victoria Community Championships fixture.

Horbury was named by Geelong on Thursday night as part an extended interchange – providing uncertainty as to whether he would be free to again represent the BFL.

O’Loughlin said while they had hoped to hear from Geelong earlier in the day, it was a pleasing outcome.

“He was always keen to play and naturally we were keen to have him.“

The highly regarded Redan star is expected to be pivotal to Ballarat’s chances of ending a losing run against the GVFL over the past decade.

The BFL had already lost East Point’s Jake McQueen because of commitments with Essendon in the VFL.

Sunbury newcomer Aaron Christensen was added to the squad midweek as a standby for Horbury and will be retained as a travelling emergency.

O’Loughlin said the BFL was taking a combination with plenty of flexibility and experience into the game against what would be a taller Goulburn Valley.

He said he believed the BFL had too much talent not to play well in a match which had much more riding on it than a chance to play on the MCG.

FRIDAY 2PM

Ballarat Football League is yet to learn whether Henderson Medallist Nathan Horbury is available to play against Goulburn Valley at the MCG on Saturday.

BFL representative head coach Shaun O’Loughlin told The Courier early Friday afternoon that Geelong was yet to confirm whether it required Horbury to play in the VFL.

Horbury was named on an extended interchange by Geelong on Thursday night.

O’Loughlin said as frustrating as the wait for news on Horbury was, all the BFL could do was wait.

He did not rule out learning where Horbury was playing as late as Saturday morning.

The BFL has Sunbury’s Aaron Christensen on standby if the Redan star is unable to play in the AFL Victoria Community Championships fixture, which is a curtain-raiser to the Geelong and Essendon AFL match.

Match time is 12.45pm.