Greater Western Victoria will field one of the most inexperienced line-ups since the formation of the Rebels more than two decades ago against Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The newly branded Rebels will feature 15 first-gamers at this level in the first round at Geelong’s Simmonds Stadium.
Matty Lloyd (Horsham Demons), Mitchell Bishop (Ballarat), Paddy Turner (Ararat), Cooper Henson (Hamilton), Thomas Berry (Horsham Saints), Josh Chatfield (Koroit), Dale Cox (Halls Creek), Lachlan Wareham (Terang-Mortlake), Jed Hill (Ballarat), Alex Harvey (Redan), Charlie Wilson (Warracknabeal), Noah Wheeler (Moama), Lukas Essenwanger (Koroit), Scott Carlin (Terang) and Harrison Hobbs (Terang-Mortlake) will all get their first taste of the under-18 competition.
Skipper Callan Wellings, Jackson Taurau, Flynn Appleby, Aaron Shepherd, Keegan Gray, Jordan Johnston, Aiden Domic and Trent Reed are the only members with TAC Cup experience.
Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said it was a great achievement by all the debutants to earn selection after a long pre-season.
Head coach Gerard FitzGerald gave his squad a final hit-out against Geelong at the weekend, so the teams will have a fair idea what to expect after the Falcons took the honours on that occasion.
This match-up has become a traditional start to the TAC Cup season.
The Falcons won by 28 points last year and went on to defeat the Rebels three times, including a qualifying final - a trend FitzGerald will be eager to change.
Two years ago it was Geelong by two points in the corresponding fixture and three seasons ago it was also the Falcons which went home with the points.
