DANDENONG Stingrays’ unbeaten start to the 2026 Talent League Girls season has seen the ladder leaders rack up double the next highest amount of representatives in the Vic Country squad that was released this week. The Stingrays boast a whopping 10 of the 28 players, with Geelong Falcons (five), Bendigo Pioneers and Gippsland Power (four), Murray Bushrangers (three) and Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels (two) completing the set.
Leading the way is National Academy member Greea McKeegan who is one of two National Academy members in the team. Also in the elite high-performance squad is Dandenong Stingrays’ ruck Sophie White who will be the first-choice at the centre bounce. Utilities Ava Bilyk (Geelong Falcons), Lily Milner (Gippsland Power) and Lacey Nihill (Bendigo Pioneers) were all involved in the All Stars team against the Academy last weekend, was was Murray Bushrangers midfielder Carmela Perri.
Though Vic Country might not have the top-end stars, there is an evenness across the squad, with past Vic Country representatives Grace Dillow and Milly Shortal back again, while the likes of Scarlett Marsh, Georgia Garlick and bottom-ager Ella Bologa will ensure plenty of skills coming out of the back half at different points. Murray adds some punch to the team with Eliza Roche and Skylah McPherson as forward/midfielders, while Beth Morris and Zoe Zach are renowned contested ball-winners.
It is great to see a number of players previously not in the Vic Country hub rewarded for recent form including Perri, Dandenong Stingrays’ Evi Irving and Gippsland Power forward Mia Smith-Clark all named. Bendigo utility Issy Boulton is the sole over-ager in the team, while the bottom-age brigade is headlined by Bologa and fellow Stingray, Lily Brittain, as well as the ever-improving Olivia Holmes (Gippsland Power).
Dandenong Stingrays have come to the rescue for some height, with five of the six players who are 178cm or above from the region. One intriguing bottom-ager to watch fits that height at 181cm, but is the exception in Jemma Andrews. She has the size to play key position, but is often rolled through the midfield.
2026 VIC COUNTRY AFLW U18s FIXTURE:
vs. Allies | Sunday, June 14 @ Blacktown International Sportspark
vs. Queensland | Sunday, June 28 @ Brighton Homes Arena
vs. Western Australia | Saturday, July 4 @ Kennedy Community Centre
vs. Vic Metro | Saturday, July 11 @ Kennedy Community Centre
2026 VIC COUNTRY AFLW U18s SQUAD:
| # | NAME | SURNAME | DOB | HT | STATE LEAGUE/COMMUNITY CLUB |
| 1 | Lily | Brittain | 26-Jan-09 | 161 | Dandenong Stingrays/Narre North Foxes |
| 2 | Issy | Boulton | 21-Nov-07 | 150 | Bendigo Pioneers/Nyah Nyah West |
| 3 | Scarlett | Marsh | 03-Apr-08 | 160 | Dandenong Stingrays/Balnarring |
| 4 | Eliza | Roche | 03-Mar-08 | 165 | Murray Bushrangers/Wodonga Raiders |
| 5 | Ava | Bilyk | 07-Jul-08 | 169 | Geelong Falcons/St Mary’s |
| 6 | Skylah | McPherson | 22-Jan-08 | 169 | Murray Bushrangers/Wangaratta Rovers |
| 7 | Lily | Milner | 25-Jan-08 | 172 | Gippsland Power/Traralgon |
| 8 | Mia | Smith-Clark | 21-May-08 | 157 | Gippsland Power/Pakenham |
| 9 | Beth | Morris | 09-Apr-08 | 167 | Bendigo Pioneers/Echuca |
| 10 | Grace | Dillow | 03-Jun-08 | 164 | Gippsland Power/Woodside |
| 11 | Evi | Irving | 18-Dec-08 | 165 | Dandenong Stingrays/Westernport Pumas |
| 12 | Zoe | Zach | 09-Dec-08 | 165 | Dandenong Stingrays/Frankston |
| 14 | Lacey | Nihill | 05-Jan-08 | 172 | Bendigo Pioneers/Sandhurst |
| 16 | Ella | Bologa | 10-Sep-09 | 162 | Dandenong Stingrays/Narre North Foxes |
| 17 | Greea | McKeegan | 15-Dec-08 | 176 | Geelong Falcons/Torquay |
| 18 | Georgia | Garlick | 07-Jan-08 | 170 | Bendigo Pioneers/Sandhurst |
| 19 | Carmela | Perri | 15-Oct-08 | 168 | Murray Bushrangers/Thurgoona |
| 20 | Claudia | Collins | 26-May-09 | 176 | Geelong Falcons/Barwon Heads |
| 21 | Olivia | Holmes | 08-Aug-09 | 174 | Gippsland Power/Phillip Island |
| 22 | Meyah | Fursland | 15-Oct-08 | 175 | Geelong Falcons/St Josephs |
| 22 | Lila | Evans | 30-Aug-08 | 166 | GWV Rebels/South Warrnambool |
| 24 | Milly | Shortal | 24-Jun-08 | 175 | GWV Rebels/North Ballarat |
| 25 | Jemma | Andrews | 28-Sep-09 | 181 | Geelong Falcons/Geelong Amateur |
| 33 | Gabrielle | Mehrmann | 11-Sep-08 | 178 | Dandenong Stingrays/Balnarring |
| 35 | Sophie | White | 18-Mar-08 | 181 | Dandenong Stingrays/Mt Eliza |
| 36 | Shiloh | Little | 28-Apr-09 | 184 | Dandenong Stingrays/Narre North Foxes |
| 37 | Amelia | Hamod | 03-Sep-09 | 187 | Dandenong Stingrays/Dromana |
| 38 | Hannah | Griffiths | 04-Feb-08 | 181 | Dandenong Stingrays/Mt Eliza |
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