Tara Murray
The best junior footballers players from across Melbourne’s north-west will be on show at the national championships in the coming weeks.
Vic Metro squads for both the under-18 championships and the under-16 development championships were named before the long weekend.
A squad of 36 was named for the under-18 championships ahead of Vic Metro’s first game on June 11.
Top five prospect Nate Caddy was one of five Northern Knights players selected in the squad.
He is joined by Jesse Dattoli, Christian Mardini, Zak Johnson and William Green named in the squad.
Caddy missed the first game through illness.
Three Calder Cannons players Nash King, Mahmoud Taha and Harry O’Farrell and father-son prospect Jordan Croft.
Croft was impressive in the first match, kicking three goals in Metro’s big win.
Werribee Districts Logan Morris is one of two Western Jets players named, along with Bacchus Marsh’s Lucca Grego.
The under-16s championships also kicked off on the weekend, with Vic Metro facing Vic Country.
Calder Cannons trio Felix Kneipp, Hamish Bird and Cooper Duff-Tytler have been also named in the squad.
Tyson Gresham, Isaac Dugdale, Mitchell Moate and Sean Tyrrell are the Northern Knights players in the squad.
Meanwhile, several Knights and Cannons players were named in Vic Metro girls under-18 teams for a trial game ahead of the final squad being selected.
Hannah Scott, Matilda Fitzgerald, Evie Lee, Zoe Hargeaves, Lauren Jatczak, Ava Jordan, Isabella Parnell and Jessica Fitzpatrick played in the game from the Knights, while Kyla Forbes, Kayley Kavanagh, Sarah Grunden and Ellie Sbeghen represented the Cannons.
Meanwhile, Jordan, Grunden and Kavanagh were also named in the under-23 all stars team to face an Australian under-18 team on Sunday after being nominated by AFL coaches.
