ELEVEN of the Wimmera’s best young football talents have been selected in the 2015 North Ballarat Rebels under-18 TAC Cup squad.
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The players form part of a 48-man squad selected from more than 150 players invited to train with the Rebels over the summer.
Players from the Ballarat, Wimmera, Mallee, South West and Warrnambool regions were selected in the squad.
Headlining the Wimmera contingent is Horsham Saint Darcy Tucker.
Tucker was a standout as a bottom-age player for the Rebels last year.
He was selected for the Vic Country team at the under- 18 championships and was named on a half-back flank in the under-18 All Australian team.
Joining Tucker from the Horsham Saints is Jarrod Berry.
Both are members of the prestigious AFL Academy.
Horsham Demons have the most representatives of any club with three players – Rhona Conboy, Ben Lakin and Billy Lloyd.
Ararat has two representatives in Tom Williamson and forward Tom Taurau.
Jake McQueen will represent Nhill.
Kalkee’s Josh Webster will return to the team as an eligible 19-year-old player, and fellow Horsham District Football Netball League player Sam McClure of Edenhope-Apsley is also in the squad.
Sam White of the Southern Mallee Giants in the Mallee Football League is also a squad member.
Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said it was an impressive crop of Wimmera players.
‘‘To get 11 boys from the Wimmera area into a squad of 48 is a fantastic effort and it just reiterates the strength of junior footy in the region,’’ he said.
‘‘We’re very pleased with the level of coaching and support Jason Muldoon has given them down there and we’re looking forward to hopefully seeing them play TAC Cup footy.’’
Partington said while Tucker was arguably the biggest name in the Wimmera contingent, other players had impressed during the pre-season.
‘‘They’ve all got some talent – there’s no doubt about that,’’ he said.
‘‘Darcy had a fantastic preseason once again and there are others who have stepped up as well like Ben Lakin, Sam McClure and Tom Taurau.
‘‘We’ve got some bottomage boys who are playing some pretty good footy.
It’s good to see some bottomage boys in the squad.’’
The Rebels will announce their under-16 squad later this week and a rookie squad for 17-year-olds who missed out on selection in the under-18 team later this month.
