VICTORIA SELECTS 2018 INCLUSION SQUADS
AFL Victoria is pleased to announce its Vic Metro and Vic Country representative squads ahead of the 2018 AFL National Inclusion Carnival next month.
Two squads of 16 of Victoria’s best footballers with an intellectual disability, including five emergencies across both squads, have been chosen to don the Big-V jumper as they prepare to take on the top talent from across the country.
Ten players will return to the Metro squad from last year’s premiership side, while six new players along with four emergencies from the WISE Employment Metropolitan Conference- Victorian FIDA Football League (VFFL) will pull on representative colours for the first time.
The Metro squad features representatives from ten different WISE Employment Metropolitan Conference VFFL clubs, with Williamstown Seagulls (five), Ferntree Gully Eagles (three) and Sandown Cobras (three) boasting the most representatives.
Williamstown Seagulls coach Rob Klemm will once again lead the Metro squad as Head Coach for the fourth consecutive year after leading his team to a 53-point victory over NSW/ACT in last year’s Grand Final.
Fellow state team Vic Country will welcome seven new players to its representative squad, with 10 players returning to the side after finishing third in 2017.
All eleven regional clubs within the VFFL are represented, with eight players from the CVGT Australia Northern Conference selected, while a further eight players hail from the Western Conference.
Selection to the Vic Country squad comes following the first representative practice match between the two country VFFL conferences, which saw over 30 regional players showcase their skills at Bendigo’s Weeroona Oval.
Leading the Country squad for the first time is GV Stars coach Steve Reeves.
With experience coaching senior interleague with the Kyabram District Football League and Dookie Utd, Reeves will take over from Matt Deegan after two years at the helm.
Held annually, the AFL National Inclusion Carnival provides an opportunity for footballers with an intellectual disability to represent their state in a week-long competition.
All states and territories will have a team represented in the competition, with squads from Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia, NSW/ACT, Northern Territory and Western Australia joining Vic Metro and Vic Country.
The 2018 National Inclusion Carnival will take place in Launceston, Tasmania from June 18-23.
2018 VIC COUNTRY SQUAD
| NAME | CLUB |
| Anthony Bird | Geelong Dragons |
| Darcy Spicer | Bendigo Dockers |
| Evan Reeves | Ballarat Bulldogs |
| Hary Hunter | Ballarat Bulldogs |
| Jackson Reeves | GV Stars |
| Jarrod Redcliffe | Wodonga Jets |
| Joshua Jose | Merriwa Magpies |
| Kelvin Walters | St. Francis Xavier Saints |
| Kieran Hartwich | Hamilton Boomers |
| Luke Byrne | South Warrnambool Hurricanes |
| Matt Taylor | Grampians Giants |
| Matthew Bear | Merriwa Magpies |
| Mitch Rabl | Bendigo Dockers |
| Steve Ingram | Bendigo Dockers |
| Tom Brody | Hamilton Boomers |
| Tyson Harris | Wimmera Whippets |
| Jeff Kinvig (Emergency) | Echuca Moama Rockets |
| STAFF | |
| Steve Reeves (Head Coach) | GV Stars |
| Gordon Godwin (Assistant Coach) | Hamilton Boomers |
| Tom McCarthy (Team Manager) | Ballarat Bulldogs/Grampians Giants |
2018 VIC METRO SQUAD
| NAME | CLUB |
| Sean Martin | Kananook Bulls |
| Shaun Doll | St. Francis Xavier Saints |
| Lachlan Essing | Ferntree Gully Eagles |
| Jamie Misfud | Wyndham Tigers |
| Aaron Grey | Williamstown Seagulls |
| Yaser Shubeilat | Williamstown Seagulls |
| Dave Alford | Williamstown Seagulls |
| Michael Scholz | Sandown Cobras |
| Alan Meiklem | Parkside FC |
| Jose Vaskess | Ferntree Gully Eagles |
| Damien Clarke | Sandown Cobras |
| Joel Nicol | Kananook Bulls |
| Rodney Pettit | Williamstown Seagulls |
| Kelvin O’Connor | Williamstown Seagulls |
| Brandon Sandars | Coburg Lions |
| Daryl Gard | Parkside FC |
| Ben Smith (Emergency) | St. Albans FC |
| Daniel Hogan (Emergency) | Mount Waverley Demons |
| Daynah Hopkins (Emergency) | Ferntree Gully Eagles |
| Troy Gibbs (Emergency) | Sandown Cobras |
| STAFF | |
| Rob Klemm (Head Coach) | Williamstown |
| Daryl Gard (Assistant Coach) | Parkside FC |
| Jenny Loughnan (Team Manager) |
