VIC COUNTRY has today announced its 31-player squad to take part in the 2023 AFL Under 18 National Championships. The Victorian outfit is set to open its campaign on Sunday morning with a clash against South Australia at IKON Park.

>> SCROLL to see the full squad

Dandenong Stingrays has the largest contingency of all six Country regions with eight representatives, while Geelong Falcons is the next best with six – as well as the head coach in Paul Corrigan. There is also a Metro-based member in Finn O’Sullivan (Oakleigh Chargers), who hails from Koroit.

O’Sullivan is one of just four bottom-agers in the squad, along with midfielders Archer Day-Wicks and Sam Lalor, and tall defender Noah Mraz. Meanwhile, Mraz’s fellow backman and Geelong Falcons leader Hamish Pierson is the sole over-ager to have earned selection.

Six AFL Academy stars feature in the squad, namely Gippsland Power pair Zane Duursma and Archer Reid, top pick fancy Harley Reid, Dandenong’s Cooper Simpson, national captain George Stevens of the GWV Rebels, and classy Murray Bushrangers midfielder-forward Darcy Wilson.

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The Country contingent is scheduled play three games in Victoria and two at IKON Park, with the only interstate trip being a venture across the Nullarbor to take on Western Australia at The WACA Ground. Sunday’s game will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.

>> All AFL U18 squads

2023 VIC COUNTRY U18 FIXTURE

vs. South Australia | Sunday June 18, 10:35pm @ IKON Park (VIC)
vs. Western Australia | Friday June 30, 6:00pm @ WACA (WA)
vs. Allies | Sunday July 9, 1:35pm @ RSEA Park (VIC)
vs. Vic Metro | Saturday July 15, 10:35am @ IKON Park (VIC)

Note: all times local.

2023 VIC COUNTRY U18 SQUAD

#1 Oliver Poole (Bendigo Pioneers)
#2 Lachlan Charleson (GWV Rebels)
#3 Cooper Simpson (Dandenong Stingrays)
#4 Darcy Wilson (Murray Bushrangers)
#5 Harley Reid (Bendigo Pioneers)
#6 Luamon Lual (GWV Rebels)
#7 Joel Freijah (GWV Rebels)
#8 Tom Anastasopoulos (Geelong Falcons)
#9 Zane Duursma (Gippsland Power)
#10 Kade De La Rue (Dandenong Stingrays)
#11 Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays)
#12 Oskar Smartt (Bendigo Pioneers)
#13 Coby James (Murray Bushrangers)
#14 Kobe Shipp (Dandenong Stingrays)
#15 Oscar Ryan (Murray Bushrangers)
#16 Harry De Mattia (Dandenong Stingrays)
#17 Archer Day-Wicks (Bendigo Pioneers)*
#18 Sam Lalor (GWV Rebels)*
#19 Angus Hastie (Geelong Falcons)
#20 Finn O’Sullivan (Oakleigh Chargers)*
#21 Jacob Grant (Dandenong Stingrays)
#22 Archer Reid (Gippsland Power)
#23 George Stevens (GWV Rebels)
#25 Michael Rudd (Geelong Falcons)
#27 Riak Andrew (Dandenong Stingrays)
#33 Hamish Pierson (Geelong Falcons)**
#34 Thomas Pierce (Geelong Falcons)
#35 Wil Dawson (Gippsland Power)
#38 Noah Mraz (Dandenong Stingrays)*
#39 Joe Pike (Geelong Falcons)
#40 Lachlan Smith (Gippsland Power)

* – denotes bottom-aged (2006-born)
** – denotes over-age (2004-born)