Eight Greater Western Victoria Rebels will attend the AFL national draft boys' combine in Melbourne late next month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They are among 90 youngsters selected for testing at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne on September 29-30, with another 30 to be added to attend state-based testing.
Rebels selected:
Ben Hobbs (Horsham Demons and Ballarat Clarendon College)
Josh Gibcus (East Point and St Patrick's College, Ballarat)
Charlie Molan (East Point and St Patrick's College)
Sam Butler (Lake Wendouree and St Patrick's College)
Jamieson Ballantyne (Portland Tigers and Portland Secondary College)
Kai Lohmann (Lake Wendouree and and St Patrick's College)
Josh Rentsch (Penshurst and Ballarat Grammar School)
Hamish Sinnott (Camperdown and Marcy Regional College)
The combine features medical screenings, AFL club interviews and media commitments.
Rebels regional talent lead Damian Ross said this was the biggest number selected from any one club Australia-wide.
He said this was outstanding result for the Rebels program in what had been a challenging year for NAB League under-19 players.
Each of the four talent regions across Goldfields, Wimmera, South-West and Hampden have representatives.
Each of the eight have progressed through the region's talent programs, representing the Rebels under-16 development squad in 2019 and NAB League squad last year.
All also represented Vic Country this year.
Ross said a national combine invitaqtion was is a great reward for effort for the players, and their families, home clubs and schools/
"This will give all boys the opportunity to showcase their physical talents and personalities to AFL clubs," he said.
Ross said while being invited to the draft combine did not guarantee players would be drafted, it certainly helped their chances.
Vic Country has 19 players invited and Vic Metro 22.
Other states and territories represented:
Western Australia: 18
South Australia: 18
NSW-ACT: 5
Northern Territory: 2
Queensland: 3
Tasmania: 3
The Rebels have played 10 games for seven wins in this year's interrupted season.
They sit second on the ladder behind Sandringham.
The competition is again on hold owing to a COVID-19 lockdown in place in Victoria until at least Thursday, September 2.
As well as the combine, some national under-19 championship matches are planned to be played in late September.
