Under-18 summer squads named

Thomas McGuane. (Ljubica Vrankovic) 410527_11

Victoria Metro and Country have announced their squads for the under-18 summer training hubs.

The boys and girls squads will take part in two high-performance training camps in December and January ahead of the Coates Talent League season.

Players involved in the summer training hubs will participate in football and wellbeing programs and will be provided with individual development plans.

All players selected in the summer training hub squads are born in 2007 or 2008 and will be eligible for selection in the Victoria Country and Victoria Metro squads that compete at next year’s AFL and AFLW national championships.

The first camp for each program will be conducted across this week.

Victoria Metro’s camp will be held at La Trobe University Bundoora, while Victoria Country’s camp will be held at the NEC Hangar, Tullamarine.

The squads will reconvene again in late January for the second camps.

Eastern Ranges boys coach Lauren Morecroft and Oakleigh Chargers girls coach Ty Vickery will serve as head coaches of the Victoria Metro teams.

The boys squad includes Western Jets’ Thomas Burton, Finn Davis and Thomas McGuane, Calder Cannons’ Cooper Duff-Tytler, Hussien El Achkar and Felix Kneipp, and Northern Knights’ Tyson Gresham, Tate Hodgson and Harry Van Hattum.

The girls metro squad includes Cannons Chloe Baker-West and Jade McLay, Jets’ Kiara Boyd and Alexandra McBride-Loane, and Northern Knights’ Olivia Gorman, Marlo Graham, Phoebe Hargreaves, Isobella Hishongwa-Gibb and Scarlett Johnson.

Gippsland Power boys coach Rhett McLennan and GWV Rebels girls coach Sally Riley will serve as head coaches of the Victoria Country teams.

Kyneton’s Ella Jeffrey has been included in the girls squad. She plays with the Bendigo Pioneers.