This weekend marks the start of the 2024 Young Guns Series, where Victoria’s top young football talents will showcase their skills against the state’s premier under-18 teams, Victoria Metro and Victoria Country, over two exciting games.
The action kicks off at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval where the Young Guns will face Victoria Metro on Saturday, April 20 at 4:20 PM. The series continues the following Sunday, April 28, when they challenge Victoria Country at Windy Hill, starting at 11:00 AM.
Comprising players who are potential picks for the 2024 AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, the Young Guns roster is drawn from nominations by AFL club recruiters and contributions from VFL clubs and Coates Talent League programs. All players on the team are 19 years old or younger as of January 1, 2024, participating either in the VFL or as overage athletes in the Coates Talent League Boys competition.
Historically, the Young Guns platform has been a springboard for talent, with past number one draft picks like Ryan Maric and Jai Culley, who both went on to join the West Coast Eagles, having participated. The series has also featured several other now-AFL-listed players including Essendon’s Sam Durham, Hawthorn’s Massimo D’Ambrosio, Gold Coast Suns’ Sam Clohesy, and Harvey Gallagher from the Western Bulldogs, a recent AFL Rising Star nominee.
The Young Guns will be coached by Calder Cannons assistant coach Matt O’Connor, with support from assistant coaches Jon Mole (Dandenong Stingrays), Mathew Dunham (Bendigo Pioneers), Simon Abrahams (Eastern Ranges), and Joshua Schwandt (Calder Cannons).
The series serves as a crucial trial for Victoria Metro and Victoria Country in their preparation for selecting their final squads for the 2024 Marsh AFL National Championships U18 Boys. Players not featured in the Young Guns Series can still be picked for the final teams competing at the Championships.
Stay tuned for the announcement of the squads for this week’s match between the Young Guns and Victoria Metro. Details for the upcoming game against Victoria Country will be released next week.
YOUNG GUNS
| # | FIRST NAME | SURNAME | HT | STATE LEAGUE CLUB | COMMUNITY CLUB |
| 1 | Thomas | Hanily | 178 | Gippsland Power (CTL) | Leongatha |
| 2 | Tobyn | Murray | 180 | Geelong Cats (VFL) | Colac |
| 3 | Tarkyn | O’Leary | 178 | Sandringham (VFL) | Noble Park |
| 4 | Oskar | Smartt | 180 | Essendon (VFL) | Keilor |
| 5 | Oliver | Poole | 183 | Bendigo Pioneers (CTL) | Echuca United |
| 6 | Ryan | Brodie | 182 | Calder Cannons (CTL) | Strathmore |
| 7 | Liam | Kershaw | 185 | Geelong Falcons (CTL) | St Joseph’s |
| 8 | Dayton | Uerata | 184 | Bendigo Pioneers (CTL) | Sandhurst |
| 9 | Cooper | Lord | 184 | Sandringham Dragons (CTL) | Old Scotch |
| 10 | Ben | Hopkins | 190 | Dandenong Stingrays (CTL) | Langwarrin |
| 11 | Geordie | Payne | 184 | Tasmania Devils (CTL) | North Launceston |
| 12 | Kade | De La Rue | 183 | North Melbourne (VFL) | Beaconsfield |
| 13 | Ry | Cantwell | 187 | Eastern Ranges (CTL) | North Ringwood |
| 14 | Will | McLachlan | 181 | Geelong Falcons (CTL) | Colac |
| 15 | Kobe | Shipp | 188 | Casey Demons (VFL) | Beaconsfield |
| 16 | Lachie | McArthur | 190 | Western Jets (CTL) | Keilor |
| 17 | Ryan | Eyre | 191 | Calder Cannons (CTL) | Castlemaine |
| 18 | Cooper | Trembath | 193 | Eastern Ranges (CTL) | Park Orchards |
| 19 | Riak | Andrew | 192 | Dandenong Stingrays (CTL) | Berwick |
| 20 | Ned | Maginness | 194 | Sandringham Dragons (CTL) | East Brighton |
| 21 | Remy | Maclean | 196 | Eastern Ranges (CTL) | East Ringwood |
| 22 | Max | Mapley | 199 | Tasmania Devils (CTL) | Clarence |
| 23 | Iliro | Smit | 200 | Eastern Ranges (CTL) | Montrose |
| 24 | Joe | Pike | 203 | Geelong Falcons (CTL) | Barwon Heads |
VICTORIA METRO
| # | FIRST NAME | SURNAME | HT | STATE LEAGUE CLUB | COMMUNITY CLUB |
| 1 | Massimo | Raso | 171 | Western Jets | Keilor |
| 2 | Lachy | Dovaston | 175 | Eastern Ranges | Blackburn |
| 3 | Jayden | Nguyen | 177 | Calder Cannons | Aberfeldie |
| 4 | Luke | Quaynor | 178 | Oakleigh Chargers | Doncaster East |
| 5 | Weston | Barker | 176 | Western Jets | Yarraville-Seddon |
| 6 | Jak | Ryan | 176 | Eastern Ranges | Woori Yallock |
| 7 | Damon | Hollow | 180 | Calder Cannons | Epping |
| 8 | Lucas | McInerney | 180 | Northern Knights | Heidelberg |
| 9 | Cody | Anderson | 180 | Eastern Ranges | Healesville |
| 10 | Nash | King | 181 | Calder Cannons | Wallan |
| 11 | Luke | Kennedy | 181 | Sandringham Dragons | Ormond |
| 12 | Lucca | Grego | 184 | Western Jets | Keilor |
| 14 | Thomas | Wenzel | 184 | Oakleigh Chargers | Hawthorn Citizens |
| 15 | Liam | Farrar | 188 | Northern Knights | Diamond Creek |
| 16 | Xavier | Kardachi | 185 | Western Jets | Sunshine |
| 17 | Keighton | Matofai-Forbes | 185 | Western Jets | Keilor |
| 18 | Seth | Macdonald | 188 | Eastern Ranges | Lysterfield |
| 19 | Gabriel | Stumpf | 194 | Northern Knights | Warrandyte |
| 20 | Riley | White | 194 | Eastern Ranges | Park Orchards |
| 26 | Louis | Emmett | 200 | Oakleigh Chargers | Glen Iris |
| 27 | Adrian | Cole | 197 | Sandringham Dragons | St Bede’s/Mentone |
| 28 | Lucas | Impey | 199 | Western Jets | Darley |
| 29 | Lucas | Tovey | 198 | Oakleigh Chargers | Blackburn |
| 30 | Thomas | Sims | 199 | Northern Knights | Montmorency
|
