The Rebels development team comprises 24 players from across western Victoria, including for the first time this year the Hampden region after the expansion of the TAC Cup area.

East Ballarat and Ballarat have the biggest representation of the Ballarat Football League clubs with two apiece – Joe Dodd and Mitch Tuddenham from the Bulldogs, and Mitch Bishop and Matthieu Brehaut from the Swans.

Aiden Domic (Mt Clear) and Jordan Johnston (North Ballarat) make up the BFL contingent.

Kali Dawborn (Dunnstown), Jordan Grant (Hepburn) and Lachlan Hull (Clunes) will fly the Central Highlands league flag.

The squad will have its only hit-out as a unit before the championship in a practice match against Geelong Falcons at Colac on Sunday.

The Rebels will then open their championship campaign against the Falcons at Geelong’s Simmonds Stadium on Sunday, March 29.

This will be a curtain-raiser to to the round one TAC Cup under-18 clash between the Rebels and Falcons.

Other Vic Country under-16 championship games:

Round two: v Bendigo Pioneers at Epsom Huntly Reserve, Bendigo, on Good Friday (April 3)

Round three: v Dandenong Stingrays at QEO Bendigo on Friday, April 10, as part of country regions’ triple header 

Final squad:

Flynn Appleby (Cohuna) 

Louis Beddison (Horsham) 

Mitch Bishop (Ballarat Swans) 

Matthieu Brehaut (Ballarat Swans) 

Kali Dawborn (Dunnstown) 

Joe Dodd (East Ballarat) 

Aiden Domic (Mt Clear) 

Lukas Essenwanger (South Rovers) 

Billy Galpin (Casterton Sandford) 

Mar Gattek (South Warrnambool)

Jordan Grant (Hepburn) 

Thomas Hedley

(Walpeup-Underbool) 

Tom Hernan (Heathmere) 

Harrison Hobbs (Deakin University) 

Lachlan Hull (Clunes) 

Jordan Johnston (North Ballarat) 

Joseph McKinnon (North Warrnambool Eagles) 

Lachlan McLean (Ouyen) 

Andrew Moloney (Warrnambool Hawks) 

Trent Reed (Cobden) 

Aaron Shepherd (West Portland) 

Jackson Taurau (Stawell) 

Connor Templeton (North Warrnambool Eagles) 

Mitchell Tuddenham (East Ballarat) 

Emergencies

Ben Guthrie (Casterton Sandford)

Mackenzie Spark (East Ballarat)

Sam Tooley (Coleraine)