IT is a rivalry stretching into its nineteenth year, but everything will be on the line for the football match between the Associated Public Schools (APS) and Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV) at Trinity College on Saturday. The game kicks off at 12.30pm in Bulleen, with plenty of TAC Cup talent on show. The APS are gunning for an eighth straight victory, and have the clear advantage over AGSV, having won 15 of the 18 meetings between the competitions.

For AGSV, they have a number of talented players who will be hoping to make the difference, including Oakleigh Chargers’ bottom-agers Trent Bianco and Lucas Westwood and top-age teammates Jake Sticca and Charlie Beasley, Calder Cannons’ quartlet Sam Graham, Harry Jones, Joshua Kemp and Shane Skidmore, Dandenong Stingray’s contingent Finlay Bayne, Samuel Sturt and Daniel Frampton, Northern Knights’ pair Kye Yodgee and Justin McInerney, and Eastern Ranges’ slick defender Xavier Fry. Of the schools, Trinity has five representatives in the best 22, with Marcellin, Peninsula, and Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS) next with four. Yarra Valley (two), Assumption (one), Ivanhoe (one) and Camberwell (one) round out the team. There are 10 emergencies named for the clash including Northern Knights’ bottom-ager and Marcellin student Adam Carafa, and Eastern Ranges’ and Yarra Valley tall, Joel Nathan. Northern Knights’ Tom McKenzie and Sandringham Dragons’ Harry Houlahan were both unavailable for the clash.

AGSV:

#1 Alex Emery (Trinity)
#2 Lincoln Siebel (Assumption)
#9 Sam Graham (PEGS)
#11 Kye Yodgee (Marcellin)
#13 Finlay Bayne (Peninsula)
#14 Joshua Kemp (PEGS)
#17 Trent Bianco (Marcellin)
#18 Shane Skidmore (Assumption)
#19 Jake Sticca (Marcellin)
#24 Justin McInerney (Marcellin)
#25 Xavier Fry (Yarra Valley)
#26 Harry Jones (PEGS)
#27 Ryan Walsh (Camberwell)
#28 Kane Veliou (Ivanhoe)
#29 Riley Macdonald (PEGS)
#30 Samuel Sturt (Peninsula)
#31 Ben Curtain (Trinity)
#32 Charlie Beasley (Trinity)
#33 Max Mourney (Peninsula)
#34 Lucas Westwood (Yarra Valley)
#37 Daniel Frampton (Peninsula)
#39 Sam Mason (Trinity)

EMG: Logan Fitzgerald, Jesse Taylor (Assumption); Harry McLeod (Camberwell); Bailey Leonard (Ivanhoe); Adam Carafa (Marcellin); Braden Nelmes (Peninsula); Henry Burke, Oliver Scott (Trinity); and Joel Nathan (Yarra Valley).

As for the APS side, St Kevin’s College has the most players in the best 22, with five selected in the representative team. Premiers, Haileybury College and Caulfield Grammar have four players each, and Brighton Grammar and Carey Grammar both have three. Melbourne Grammar and Wesley College have one player each in the side, while the two remaining schools – Xavier College and Scotch College are represented through an emergency each. The top player in the side is Dandenong Stingrays’ Toby Bedford who shone at the National Under 18 Championships for Vic Country, joined in the side by Vic Metro representatives Alastair Richards and Fischer McAsey – the latter who did not play, but was named in the side as a bottom-ager. Oakleigh’s Jack Ross has been named as captain of the side, joined in the team by fellow Chargers Bailey Wraith, Kaden Schreiber, Cooper Leon and Oliver Simpson. Other TAC Cup listed players are Charlie Dean, Anthony Seaton and Josh Worrell (Sandringham Dragons), and Heath Briggs (Dandenong Stingrays). James Jordan (Caulfield – Oakleigh zone) and Harry Reynolds (Brighton – Sandringham zone) are school-based players who have done enough to earn State Combine invitations.

APS:

#2 Peter Gentile (Haileybury)
#3 Oliver Simpson (Carey)
#4 Toby Bedford (Melbourne)
#5 Matthew Presutto (St Kevin’s)
#6 Cooper Leon (Carey)
#7 Will Agius (Brighton)
#9 Charlie Dean (Wesley)
#10 William James (St Kevin’s)
#11 Fischer McAsey (Caulfield)
#12 Jack Bell (Haileybury)
#14 Harry Reynolds (Brighton)
#15 William Barron (St Kevin’s)
#16 Kaden Schreiber (Caulfield)
#17 Alastair Richards (St Kevin’s)
#18 Anthony Seaton (St Kevin’s)
#20 Jack Ross (Caulfield)
#22 Heath Briggs (Haileybury)
#23 Josh Worrell (Haileybury)
#24 Bailey Wraith (Carey)
#25 Liam Scott (Haileybury)
#26 James Jordan (Caulfield)
#27 Nick Phillips (Brighton)

EMG: Sammy Stynes (Xavier), Finn Maginness (Scotch)

Last year: APS 18.12 (120) defeated AGSV 12.10 (82)

History:

Head to Head: APS 15 – 3 AGSV

1999: APS
2000: APS
2001: AGSV
2002: AGSV
2003: APS
2004: APS
2005: APS
2006: APS
2007: APS
2008: AGSV
2009: APS
2010: AGSV
2011: APS
2012: APS
2013: APS
2014: APS
2015: APS
2016: APS
2017: APS
2018: ???