With the national under-18 championships underway, Greater Western Victoria Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said it was one of many ways young footballers could catch the eye of AFL recruiters.
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Rebels captain Callan Wellings, ruckman Lloyd Meek and forward Jordan Johnston were all selected in the Vic Country squad, with Meek playing in the first game against the Allies in Blacktown on Sunday.
Meek finished with 12 disposals, 16 hitouts, six clearances and one goal.
“We were pleased with the output of Lloyd, he started in the ruck and made a good impact throughout the day,” Partington said.
“We have four rounds, so hopefully those boys (Wellings and Johnston) will come in and play throughout the carnival, since it’s not so much about the win but the development of the players.”
Partington emphasised those who had not been selected in the squad but were playing good football could be added at any time, while missing out altogether was not the be all or end all.
“If you look at the draft last year, there were about 17 players from the TAC Cup program that didn’t play nationals that got drafted to AFL,” Partington said.
“It’s like any team, you can only play one or two centre half-backs in a team, not four or five.”
Another opportunity for the Rebels players to further their development and catch the eye of AFL recruiters is through playing in the VFL, thanks to the Rebels’ relationship with the North Ballarat Roosters.
Already 19-year-old Naish McRoberts and Wellings have played as the 23rd player, while Meek is also expected to be included in the Roosters line up this season.
Partington said regardless of whether players had been through the draft process before or were approaching it for the first time, the message was always the same.
“You have to continue to play good football,” he said.
“Every game they play is a job interview – they have to sell themselves every week with their performances and we create the environment where they can get the best out of themselves.”
While the draft will be more shallow for the Rebels this year, Partington said the draft-able players had been putting up their hands.
“We speak to AFL clubs weekly… and the AFL clubs are getting all the messages and watching all the games,’ he said.
“The homework they do on the players nowadays is extraordinary and our players are being spoken about.”
