MURRAY Bushrangers’ inside midfielder Ely Smith will pull on the ‘Big V’ for Vic Country after his sensational TAC Cup form, coupled with a number of injuries to the Country midfield brigade. AFL Draft Central spoke to Vic Country Talent Pathways Manager Lee Fraser about Smith’s inclusion and reasoning behind him being added to the squad ahead of the fourth and final game against Western Australia at GMHBA Stadium on Friday.

Smith is ranked first for clearances in the TAC Cup competition, racking up 54 from his 10 games, while also averaging 22.8 disposals and five tackles per game. He also averages more than half of his possessions at the coal-face, a key reason Fraser said the Murray Bushrangers midfielder was called upon for the final National Under 18 Championships game. Fraser also said Smith filled a key void that Country had lost due to a few injuries over the carnival.

“It’s on the back of Ely’s good form first and foremost,” he said. “He wasn’t too far away from making the squad in the early stages, but his TAC Cup form has been very good. “Secondly, we’ve lost Jye Caldwell and Mitch Riordan from that inside role. “Having lost those two guys, and Sam Fletcher being ill last week, we had to bolster that inside midfield for game four.

Fraser said there are official protocols to follow, but everything was ticked off and Smith will line-up in the middle against the Black Swans on Friday.

“We applied to the AFL to have him included, and we received support from recruiters,” he said. “It means we will have 36 players representing Vic Country over the championships which is exciting. “Of course the other factor is scheduling four games in 21 days. “But the main factor is we had a specific need due to losing Caldwell and Riordan on the inside.”

Fraser said the Victorian representative sides always needed flexibility when it comes to selection because of schedule and injuries, with the staff keeping a close eye on the TAC Cup while the National Championships rolled on. A recent example was fellow Murray Bushranger now Geelong Cat, Esava Ratugolea who was a late call-up to the Vic Country side on the back of some sensational bags in the TAC Cup.

“We’ve always got an eye on the TAC Cup games during the middle of the year while the championships are on,” Fraser said. “You start with a list at the start of the championships, but there’s also the need for flexibility, particularly with those four games in 21 days. “Those games included travelling to Sydney and Adelaide, and that’s always a challenge for players coming from rural areas.”

When asked about the possibility of Tom Berry going inside, Fraser said he was an option, but his form at half-back was justifying his selection there, a role that he is likely to play throughout the TAC Cup season too.

“He (Berry) could possibly go in too,” he said. “We’re happy with Berry’s form at half-back. He can also potentially go to half-forward. “But we’ve seen his burst speed, closing speed and one-on-one competitiveness against (Izak) Rankine and then (Curtis) Taylor. “We’ll make a few changes to the squad.”

Vic Country takes on Western Australia at 4.40pm at GMHBA Stadium. Both sides head into the game winless, with the match being the final game for the Country side in this year’s carnival.