VICTORIA’S finest Under 16s talent from the Coates Talent League Girls pathway will clash up at Deakin Reserve in Shepparton tomorrow as the newly named Pool A kicks off. Vic Country will host Vic Metro in what is expected to be an entertaining contest.

Pool B of the Under 16 Championships got underway on Wednesday, with the second round of those matches to take place tomorrow. Pool A’s second matches will take place on April 23, with a standalone South Australia-Western Australia clash a week later.

In today’s article, we preview the two Victorian teams and name a few players to watch from each side in the carnival.

VIC COUNTRY

One player who has already featured at Coates Talent League level is Gippsland Power’s Ella Stoddart. She ran out for the red, white and blue last year and was one of the most prolific rebounding defenders despite being a triple bottom-ager. Set to spend more time in the midfield as her career goes on, she will be the most readymade of the Country players in that clash.

Geelong Falcons’ Stella Huxtable is another one to keep an eye on, with the 170cm talent a dangerous player in the forward half and enjoyed a strong Herald Sun Shield for Clonard College. Huxtable is one of six Geelong Falcons in the 23-player squad, the most of any region.

In terms of the breakdown between Country regions, Geelong has two more than Gippsland Power and GWV Rebels (four apiece), with Dandenong Stingrays, Murray Bushrangers and Bendigo Pioneers all recording three players each.

VIC METRO

There is incredible excitement around Calder Cannons utility Chloe Baker-West, who similar to Stoddart, quickly established herself as one to watch for the future at Coates Talent League level last season. Standing at 163cm, Baker-West won the Under 16s MVP for Vic Metro from her two games against Country as a bottom-ager, and returns to the tournament set to be a huge player yet again. She can play on all three lines.

Standing at just 158cm, Phoebe Hargreaves has already featured for the Northern Knights this season. She has played at half-forward and taken some incredibly contested marks, defying her size and looking dangerous inside 50. The Knights are one of three teams with five Metro representatives.

Eastern Ranges and Sandringham Dragons join Northern as the sides with five representatives in the 26-player squad. Calder Cannons and Oakleigh Chargers each have four, while Western Jets recorded the three.