VICTORIA’s top young Country stars have been named as part of the State Hub for both male and female junior football. Picking squads of 20 (girls) and 25 (boys), the hubs will form the early basis for Vic Country’s 2023 AFL and AFLW Under 18 Championships.

The squads will come together from tonight as part of a training camp, which will take place at The Hangar in Tullamarine. The Vic Country Girls squad will participate over tonight and tomorrow, with the boys’ camp running tomorrow and Sunday. It features a mix of the most talented 16 and 17 year-old AFL and AFLW Draft hopefuls who will strut their stuff in the 2023 NAB League competition.

Training camps will provide players with an induction into high-performance and wellbeing programs, which feature medical screenings, individual development plans, and on and off-field training sessions. A second camp will be held in January and February for the boys and girls respectively.

The four Vic Country AFLW Academy members have been named in the program, with Bendigo’s Lila Keck and Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels’ Jessica Rentsch joined by Dandenong Stingrays duo, Bianca Lyne and Mikayla Williamson. Under 16s Country Most Valuable Player (MVP) Lucia Painter was also named in the side along with Gippsland Power tall Ash Centra as some of the bottom-age talents.

Six boys from the Vic Country program made the AFL Academy, headlined by potential number one pick, Harley Reid. Gippsland Power duo and top-end talents Zane Duursma and Archer Reid have also made it onto the list, as well as fellow AFL Academy members, Dandenong Stingrays’ Cooper Simpson, GWV Rebels’ George Stevens and Murray Bushrangers’ Darcy Wilson. Reigning Kevin Sheehan Medallist Finn O’Sullivan also made the squad.

Geelong Falcons head coaches Mel Hickey and Paul Corrigan will lead the respective hubs and state teams at next year’s AFL and AFLW Under 18 Championships. More information on the respective squads will be found via Rookie Me Central next week.

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