THE 2022 NAB League Boys season is set to kick off at the start of April, with genuine excitement surrounding the latest crop of AFL Draft prospects. The 13 full-time regions are again set to compete in Australia’s most prolific talent pathway, and we preview each squad as season proper approaches. Next up, the Bendigo Pioneers.

“Let’s just play footy”. That’s the hopeful message Bendigo Pioneers coach Danny O’Bree holds ahead of season 2022. With such an even crop of talent last year and some standouts coming into this one, O’Bree and his fellow Pioneer staff can see the upside in their group.

“There’s quite a bit of potential there,” said O’Bree. “We’re just hoping that they take their opportunity I guess and hopefully get a full season in with no breaks, or blocks, or lockdowns. Let’s just play footy.”

Starting out with 120 players to cut down from across their four regional hubs – Bendigo, Echuca, Mildura, and Swan Hill – O’Bree says the Pioneers gave as many prospects as possible every opportunity to crack the final squad. Though with the largest expanses of any region, it was no easy task.

“It’s obviously a big number and because we opened up our regional hubs, it’s a big region,” he said. “We gave the players a real opportunity because they’ve missed the last couple of years, so it’s been a task to get through them, and get down to our list, but we’re really satisfied we’ve given everyone a really good opportunity and we’re looking forward to seeing what the list can do.

“We try to go up (to regional hubs) every three weeks, just to make sure that we’ve got a fair bit of support not only to coaches, but to the kids so they see our faces. We might try a different model next year but we thought it worked really well, we got some really good buy-in and our coaches have done an unbelievable job in our regional centres.”

After 2021 AFL Academy member Cooper Hamilton found his way to Greater Western Sydney (GWS) via the Rookie Draft, Bendigo has two more representatives in the 2022 allotment – Jason Gillbee and Harley Reid. Both have already shown their wares at NAB League level, and shape as two of the squad’s most valuable players. O’Bree was glowing in his review of both players.

“(Gillbee) has moved to Bendigo, he’s living by himself, currently in Year 12,” O’Bree said. “He’s an incredibly mature kid, very independent and just an unbelievable character. He’s great for our group, he brings that country lad (character) and makes things fun. His preseason has been sensational, he’s running around that six-minute two kilometre time, he just works incredibly hard – I think that’s what stands out. His standards are so good that he lifts the group so I’m really excited for his season ahead.

“He went up to GWS and spent a week up there, I think they loved him. He loved the city lights, he thought he was a city kid for a little bit there so that’s been pretty funny. He thinks the beach and that would really suit his lifestyle.

“Harley will get an opportunity with Carlton in the holidays in April, so I think he’s really looking forward to getting down to the city as well as a bottom-ager… he’s going from strength to strength and he’s probably lifted in the last six weeks of our preseason.

“I think it wouldn’t matter where he played on the ground, he’s going to have the same impact. We might give him a bit of variety, get a bit of versatility into him and keep him happy. It’s not his draft year so he’s going to do a fair bit of learning. He’s just an exciting player.”

Along with Reid, midfielder Noah Long is among this year’s Vic Country talent hub. The Under 17 ‘Big V’ representative has endured a disrupted off-season, but has plenty of potential and should be raring to go as season proper kicks in.

“We haven’t seen a great deal of ‘Longy’, he’s had a limited preseason with a knee (injury) during his Under 17s carnival with the Vic Country program,” O’Bree said. “He’s had a really limited preparation but he’s building and he’s nearly back to full training now.”

Hamilton’s twin brother, Hugh is another prospect to watch as he returns to the program. Also tied to Carlton’s VFL side, the versatile runner is one of a few over-agers O’Bree labelled as “good leaders” for the group.

“Hugh Hamilton, Harvey Gallagher and Bode Stevens are all training and playing practice matches at VFL clubs at the moment which is awesome,” he said. “Jed Brereton, a 200cm prospect has had a bit of a limited preseason but is hopefully starting to hit his straps now. Whether we see much of them this year, hopefully they get some VFL opportunities, but they’ve come back in ripping order.”

Two more players were put on the radar as potential breakout candidates by O’Bree, having either come into the program late last year, or developed at a strong rate over the break.

“I think we’ve got quite a few, the only question I suppose is we haven’t played a lot of footy over two years,” he said. “We’re really happy with where Eli Pearce is at. He broke into our team late last year, he’s had a terrific preseason. Him being part of the group for a full preseason has been really good for him, so we’re looking forward to seeing how he progresses. Someone like Jacob Nihill, who has taken some big leaps forward as well, he’s been getting in the gym and getting a lot stronger.”

Bendigo begins its latest NAB League campaign on April 2, when GWV rolls into town for an all-Country clash at Queen Elizabeth Oval. We also previewed the Rebels’ season, chatting to former Pioneers talent lead and current Rebels talent lead Brooke Brown.