Tongala talent and 2022 best-and-fairest runner-up Harley Reid will notch his third season of Pioneers footy, coming into 2023 as one of the highest-rated draft fancies.
Echuca United’s Oliver Poole also looks poised to build on his 10 Talent League appearances last season, named again in the under-18 side.
Moama will have a record seven representatives, including a strong contingent within the Pioneers’ girls’ squads.
Jemika and Shaleah Cooper are once again on the list alongside Remi Baulch and Ella Platfuss.
Meanwhile, Magpie talents Lachlan Hogan, Mitch Bell and Jobe Shanahan have graduated from the under-16 program to earn places in the Pioneers’ under-18 squad.
Echuca will have five representatives with Hugh Byrne, Tom Evans and Will Rohde included in the under-18s, while in the under-16s, Liam Gronow and Jackson Lewis have earned first-time honours.
Kyabram will have a trio of Bombers in the under-18s — Mitch Dodos, Nicholas Jephson and 2022 Victoria Country squad member Charlie Barnett — while Tyler Norman earned a place on the under-16 list.
It’s another strong haul of players from the region and Pioneers coach Danny O’Bree said cutting down the final lists was a difficult task.
“The worst part of the job is letting some unbelievable talent go back to local footy,” O’Bree said.
“We have only got a limited amount of spots and hopefully we’ve found some really good AFL talent to work with and develop.
“Hopefully the ones that have missed go back to local footy and prove us wrong and earn a place back among the squads.”
O’Bree said he was keen to see what some of his players could deliver, but reiterated that with so much talent to lean on it was difficult to isolate a particular X-factor ahead of the 2023 season.
“Hugh Byrne came in and had a really good pre-season ... he’s a really exciting player,” O’Bree said.
“Will Rohde has had significant amounts of injuries as a junior. He gets his opportunity after getting himself in order and he’s super fit.
“Mitch Dodos is super athletic. We can’t find a match-up for him at training and we’re hoping that translates on to the field.
“We’ve got some excellent bottom-age talent including Jobe Shanahan and Lachlan Hogan, and then there’s James Barrat who already tasted Vic Country action as a 16-year-old.
“They are super talented kids and now they can showcase that against some pretty good opposition.”
The Pioneers programs begin the season with round one of the Coates Talent League for the girls on March 19 in Shepparton, while the boys start on March 25 at Ballarat.
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