Goulburn Valley products Joe Berry (Benalla), Oliver Warburton (Shepparton Swans) and Matt Whitlock (Shepparton) will don the famous Big V this weekend as part of Victoria Country’s squad for the upcoming under-16 boys 2022 NAB AFL National Development Championships.
The AFL Development Championships are the highest level of representative football for the under-16 age group and form as part of the AFL’s Talent Pathway program.
Kicking off with a clash between Victoria Metro and Victoria Country on Saturday morning at Ikon Park, the championships will feature 10 different teams from across the country.
These include: Victoria Country, Victoria Metro, Brisbane Lions, Gold Coast Suns, GWS Giants, Northern Territory, South Australia, Sydney Swans, Tasmania and Western Australia.
Murray Bushrangers regional talent operations lead Mick Wilson said it was a thrill to have three players from its program selected to represent Victoria Country.
“It is very pleasing to have Joe, Oliver and Matt picked in this state side,” Wilson said.
“We are very happy with the quality of talent we have coming through that under-16 age group and we are rapt that those boys will get an opportunity to play at that state level.
“We would have like to have seen a couple more of our boys get picked and think there are a few other boys that are around the mark also, but I’m sure they’ll get their opportunities in the years to come.”
Coming off the back of dominant junior careers for their respective clubs, Wilson gave an insight to how each of the boys play, and what they will bring to the Victoria Country set up.
“Joe (Berry) is a half-forward and midfielder who covers the ground really well and has an elite left foot kick, so I expect him to hit the scoreboard and have a real impact at the higher level,” he said.
“Oliver (Warburton) is a really strong inside midfielder, he attacks the ball really hard and is a really courageous type player that exhibits great craft around stoppage.
“While Matt (Whitlock) will probably play as a key defender but has the ability to go forward and have an impact, so I think he will be a real asset to this Victoria Country team.”
A crucial step on the road to being considered an AFL draft prospect, Wilson said being part of the Victoria Country program would serve as an invaluable experience for the local trio.
“There have been lots of studies that show athletes can fast track their development in a physical sense when they spend time with and against players of equal talent,” he said.
“So the three boys will take a lot of this experience and really get a gauge of where they sit in the talent pool for their age group and hopefully they will rise to what is a very exciting challenge.
“At the end of the day, this is an opportunity for them to showcase their talents at the highest level and really kick-start their development into under-19 footy and the draft process.”