REBELS captain Darcy Tucker and teammates Yestin Eades and Jarrod Berry are set to take their games to the national stage.
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The trio will play for Victoria Country in the opening round of the AFL national under-18 championships, a clash against arch rival Vic Metro at Simonds Stadium on Sunday.
Tucker and Berry, both from Horsham Saints, and Eades, who relocated to Ballarat from Perth, went into team camp with Country on Friday.
North Ballarat Rebels Matthew Johnston (North Ballarat City) and Tom Templeton (Portland) have been named in a secondary Country team for an exhibition game against a Vic Metro B team.
AFL Victoria Country talent manager Phil Partington, who is also Rebels talent manager, said the secondary team offered players in each top-40 training squad the chance to play before AFL recruiters.
Partington said it was also a chance for Country to finalise its list for the carnival, in which each state team must play a minimum of 30 players in two games.
A break in TAC Cup under-18 competition allows Rebels Josh Webster and Connor Byrne the chance to play senior state league football this week.
Webster (Kalkee) has been promoted as North Ballarat Roosters’ 23rd man in the Victorian Football League – the first of the Rebels’ 19-year-olds to do so this season.
All four 19-year-olds on the Rebels’ list train with the Roosters on Wednesday nights. Partington said they were all keen to taste VFL action.
Byrne (Lavington) will line up for Greater Western Sydney against the Gold Coast in the North East Australian Football League.
The bottom-age Rebel is part of the GWS Academy. Partington said the NEAFL would be a good test for Byrne’s development.
AFL under-18 national championships continue next week, with Country set to travel to Perth to play Western Australia.
melanie.whelan@fairfaxmedia.com.au
AT A GLANCE
GAME ONE
Vic Country A v Vic Metro A, 11am start
GAME TWO
Vic Country B v Vic Metro B, 1.30pm start