THE best young talent in the Victorian Football League (VFL) will take part in a revamped AFL Victoria Young Gun Series, which kicks off next month at Avalon Airport Oval.

After previously being an annual match played in September, with potential ‘draft smokies’ going head-to-head, this year the three match series will give recruiters the chance to watch over the best emerging talent in the competition.

The initial squads – announced on the VFL website – have potential for talented community footballers to be added to the list for future games throughout the year, with VFL coaching games record holder Gerard FitzGerald overseeing the program in 2018.

Priority in the Young Guns series will be given to players who are yet to play regular senior VFL football, ahead of members of the squad already earning regular VFL selection. FitzGerald will not only support the players in the program, but play a role in assisting the coaching groups that have been established.

Dandenong Stingrays Josh Bourke and Port Melbourne’s Trent McMicking have been named as respective coaches, with Scott McDougall (Gippsland Power), Darryl Wilson – (Former Bendigo Bombers/Strathfieldsaye Football Club Coach), Ross Gemmill (Frankston), Peter Mongta (Gippsland Power), Tom Curran (Coburg), Mark Wheatley (Casey Demons) and Luke Daffy (Geelong Falcons) in support.

For more information on the series, keep an eye out on the VFL website. or the VFL Facebook or Twitter pages. All three matches will be played as curtain raisers to VFL games.

• Saturday, May 5 at 2.00PM, Avalon Airport Oval (prior to Werribee versus Collingwood, 5pm)
• Saturday, May 26 at 11.00AM, North Port Oval (prior to Port Melbourne versus Casey Demons, 2pm)
• Saturday, June 30 at 11.00AM, North Port Oval (prior to Port Melbourne versus Sandringham, 2pm)

The players named for the series are as follows: