Press Release | The top community football talent from across the state will have the chance to don their representative jumpers in the 2018 AFL Victoria Community Cup, following the release of the initial Vic Country and Vic Metro squads.
An initial 42-man WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country squad and 34-man Vic Metro side have been announced following their performance in the third instalment of the AFL Victoria WorkSafe Community Championships and taking into account player injuries and availabilities.
In addition, an initial 54-player Energy Safe Victoria Country Under 19s representative side has been released ahead of its clash with the Victorian Amateur Football Association in the 2018 Under 19 Challenge Cup.
The current highest ranked country competition and former number-one ranked community league Geelong Football Netball League boasts the most representatives in the initial Vic Country squad with ten players, followed by Goulburn Valley Football League and Ovens & Murray Football Netball League with six selections each.
The WorkSafe AFL Victoria Country side will once again be coached by AFL legend Danny Frawley, who will be keen to continue Vic Country’s winning form over Metro, after defeating Melbourne’s best by 39-points in their last encounter.
Frawley will be pitted against 199-game Footscray legend Brian Royal, who will once again lead Vic Metro’s top senior talent.
The number-one ranked Eastern Football League has eight representatives invited to join the initial Vic Metro squad, while players from the Western Region Football League (11 players), Northern Football Netball League (nine players) and Southern Football Netball League (eight players) round out the preliminary squad.
Damian Sexton will lead the next generation of country Victoria talent as coach of the Under 19 Energy Safe Vic Country squad for the tenth consecutive year.
Goulburn Valley League has secured the most selections in the initial Under 19 squad with nine players, followed by Ovens & Murray Football League and Geelong Football League with eight representatives each.
The Under 19 squad will look to claim its fifth consecutive win over VAFA, after securing a tight four point win over VAFA at Frankston Oval last year.
The Vic Country vs. Vic Metro showdown will be held at Ballarat’s Mars Stadium on Sunday July 8, with the Under 19 Challenge kicking off at 11:30am, followed by the seniors at 2:00pm.
The initial squads will conduct training sessions in mid-June, with the final squads to be released in the lead up to the 2018 AFL Victoria Community Championships.
INITIAL VIC COUNTRY SENIOR SQUAD
| NAME | SURNAME | CLUB | LEAGUE |
| Andrew | Jarvis | Ocean Grove | Bellarine |
| Todd | Stevenson | Bell Park | Geelong |
| Luke | Hillman | Colac | Geelong |
| Ryan | Monaghan | Colac | Geelong |
| Lochie | Veale | Colac | Geelong |
| Zac | Zdybel | Colac | Geelong |
| Chris | Moreland | Geelong West | Geelong |
| Tom | Ruggles | Leopold | Geelong |
| Jai | Thompson | Leopold | Geelong |
| Marcus | Thompson | Leopold | Geelong |
| Jack | Blood | St Mary’s | Geelong |
| Xavier | Moloney | Swan Hill | Central Murray |
| Brodie | Collins | Eaglehawk | Bendigo |
| Jack | Reaper | Gisborne | Bendigo |
| Adam | Baird | Golden Square | Bendigo |
| Jack | Geary | Golden Square | Bendigo |
| Andrew | Collins | Sandhurst | Bendigo |
| Dale | Hinkley | Birchip Watchem | North Central |
| Bob | McCallum | Drouin | Gippsland |
| Ed | Morris | Drouin | Gippsland |
| Lachlan | Bramble | Sunbury | Ballarat |
| Mick | Mattingly | Kyabram | GVFL |
| Kayne | Pettifer | Kyabram | GVFL |
| Lachlan | Smith | Kyabram | GVFL |
| Steve | Stroobants | Rochester | GVFL |
| Jason | Cole | Seymour | GVFL |
| Brandyn | Grenfell | Tatura | GVFL |
| Nick | Meredith | Lavington | OMFL |
| Matt | Dussin | Myrtleford | OMFL |
| Dylan | Van Berlo | Wangaratta | OMFL |
| Jydon | Neagle | Wodonga Raiders | OMFL |
| Harry | Wheeler | Yarrawonga | OMFL |
| Brandon | Symes | Yarrawonga | OMFL |
| Lachy | Batten | Edithvale Aspendale | MPNFL |
| Sam | Fox | Frankston Bombers | MPNFL |
| Brenton | Credlin | Frankston YCW | MPNFL |
| Christian | Ongarello | Frankston YCW | MPNFL |
| Lachie | Wallace | Frankston YCW | MPNFL |
| Jack | Williams | Camperdown | Hampden |
| Jarrod | Korewha | Koroit | Hampden |
| Kaine | Mercovich | Port Fairy | Hampden |
| Shannon | Beks | Sth Warrnambool | Hampden |
INITIAL VIC METRO SENIOR SQUAD
| NAME | SURNAME | CLUB | LEAGUE |
| Frank | Anderson | South Croydon | EFL |
| Liam | Wale-Buxton | Vermont | EFL |
| Joseph | Fisher | Vermont | EFL |
| Lachlan | McDonald | Rowville | EFL |
| Jackson | McDonald | Rowville | EFL |
| Cam | Purdy | Vermont | EFL |
| Tom | Maas | Vermont | EFL |
| Jayden | Kroussoratis | Norwood | EFL |
| Jesse | Donaldson | Montmorency | NFL |
| Josh | Grabowski | Bundoora | NFL |
| Lucas | Hobbs | Macleod | NFL |
| Jhye | Baddeley-Kelly | North Heidelberg | NFL |
| Nick | Riddle | Greensborough | NFL |
| Anton | Woods | Eltham | NFL |
| Jordan | Perry | Northcote Park | NFL |
| Brad | Leggett | Macleod | NFL |
| Jack | Johnston | Greensborough | NFL |
| Lucas | Walmsley | Dingley | SFL |
| Christopher | Carey | East Malvern | SFL |
| Josh | Fox | Cheltenham | SFL |
| Lucas | Hall | East Malvern | SFL |
| Will | Clarke | St Pauls | SFL |
| Luke | Duffy | East Malvern | SFL |
| Nicholas | Buykx | Werribee Districts | WRFL |
| Liam | Cavanagh | Sunshine | WRFL |
| Ben | Said | St. Albans | WRFL |
| Lewis | Tudor | Caroline Springs | WRFL |
| Tom | Donoghue | St Albans | WRFL |
| Daniel | Schibeci | Werribee Districts | WRFL |
| Nick | Ryan | Spotswood | WRFL |
| Kyle | Galloway | Caroline Springs | WRFL |
| Johnathan | O’Brien | Albion | WRFL |
| Rex | Hickman | Caroline Springs | WRFL |
| Luke | Goetz | Altona | WRFL |
INITIAL ENERGY SAFE VIC COUNTRY U19 SQUAD
| NAME | SURNAME | CLUB | LEAGUE |
| Angus | Byrne | Echuca | GVFL |
| Brad | Whitford | Kyabram | GVFL |
| Liam | Duguid | Shepparton | GVFL |
| Jamie | Dunne | Benalla | GVFL |
| Jobee | Warde | Echuca | GVFL |
| Thomas | Burke | Euroa | GVFL |
| Mitchell | Kemp | Echuca | GVFL |
| Darby | Henderson | Echuca | GVFL |
| Wil | Hamilton | Rochester | GVFL |
| Kieran | Jones | Maffra | Gippsland FL |
| Zac | Hurley | Sale | Gippsland FL |
| Kim | Drew | Warragul | Gippsland FL |
| Joel | Norton | Leongatha | Gippsland FL |
| Thomas | Fleming | Moe | Gippsland FL |
| Ryan | Bruce | Yarrawonga | O&M |
| Matthew | Casey | Yarrawonga | O&M |
| Joe | Richards | Wangaratta | O&M |
| Daniel | Sharrock | Wangaratta | O&M |
| Brad | Melville | Wangaratta | O&M |
| Jack | Schilg | Corowa | O&M |
| Tristan | Mann | Albury | O&M |
| Connor | Newham | Wodonga Raiders | O&M |
| Cassidy | Parish | Grovedale | Geelong FL |
| Jarrod | Walters | St Marys | Geelong FL |
| Jack | Henderson | St Marys | Geelong FL |
| Harry | Benson | St Marys | Geelong FL |
| Adam | Garner | Colac | Geelong FL |
| Lachie | Noble | Sth Barwon | Geelong FL |
| Sam | Wolfenden | St Albans | Geelong FL |
| Harry | Ling | St Marys | Geelong FL |
| Mitch | Chafer | Torquay | Bellarine FL |
| Sam | James | Nth Warrnambool | Hampden FL |
| Nic | Carlon | Edithvale-Aspendale | MPFNL |
| Luke | Webster | Mt.Eliza | MPFNL |
| Tom | Small | Mt.Eliza | MPFNL |
| Josh | Harris | Rosebud | MPFNL |
| Ishak | Bashir | Seaford | MPFNL |
| Jarrod | Sullivan | Karingal | MPFNL |
| Kye | Whitford | Langwarrin | MPFNL |
| Sam | Beasley | Cobram | Murray FL |
| Patrick | Bruzzese | Wandin | Yarra Ranges FL |
| Nick | Stuhldrier | Bacchus Marsh | Ballarat FL |
| Matt | Young | Darley | Ballarat FL |
| Jordy | Johnson | East Point | Ballarat FL |
| Jacob | Brown | East Point | Ballarat FL |
| Dylan | Landt | Sunbury | Ballarat FL |
| Bailey | Henderson | Strathfieldsaye | Bendigo FL |
| Jack | Scanlon | Gisborne | Bendigo FL |
| Brayden | Torpey | Sth Bendigo | Bendigo FL |
| Lachlan | Gill | Strathfieldsaye | Bendigo FL |
| Lachy | Wallace | Strathfieldsaye | Bendigo FL |
| Jose | Miliado | Woorinen | CMFL |
| Austin | Mertz | Swan Hill | CMFL |
| Logan | Prout | Leitchville Gunbower | Heathcote DFL |