By Nick Creely
The final squad for the Vic Country boys has been finalised ahead of the upcoming NAB AFL U18 Championships, with a total of seven Dandenong Stingrays youngsters set to test their mettle against the country’s best young talent.
In the squad of 41, Stingrays co-captain and highly touted key defender Oscar Clavarino will skipper the side with Geelong’s James Worpel.
Clavarino has spent the majority of 2017 playing with Haileybury College, and has played just one game in the TAC Cup this season, but is undoubtedly the top key defensive prospect in this year’s draft pool.
All six of the Stingrays’ NAB AFL Academy players – Hunter Clark, Oscar Clavarino, Aaron Darling, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Tom De Koning and Sam Fletcher – have been named, although Darling is unlikely to play as he still recovers from his long-term knee injury.
A lot of eyes will be on star midfielder DaviesUniacke, who similarly to Clavarino – has been tied up on school football duties.
The powerful 187cm midfielder is likely to be jostling with two players – Darcy Fogarty from South Australia and Charlie Spargo from Victoria – for the battle of the number one draft pick.
Noted for using his big frame at stoppages to his advantage, similar to elite players Patrick Cripps, Dustin Martin and Marcus Bontempelli, Davies-Uniacke is a player capable of stepping foot into an AFL club right now and having an instant impact.
The other Stingray to make the final cut is impressive ruckman Bailey Williams who has been highly imposing as a genuine game changing tall.
The Country squad – to be coached by Mat Battistello – will feature six over-agers and seven bottom-agers, and six players who represented Country at last year’s U18 Championships.
Country commences its campaign against the Allies in Blacktown, NSW, on 11 June from 12.30pm, before clashing with Metro at Punt Road Oval on 24 June, Western Australia on 30 June at Etihad Stadium before finishing up at Simonds Stadium on 5 July against South Australia.
