TWINS Charlie and Sam Youngman are used to their teammates doing a double take.
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While not identical, most struggle to tell them apart.
Coach Jarrod Holt admitted earlier this season he couldn’t differentiate between the two, even when wearing their Hamilton Kangaroos playing jumpers that sport numbers 53 and 54.
“One night one turned up at training wearing a hat and I said ‘you boys have to keep coming to training like that’ so all the boys can tell them apart,” Holt said.
Charlie, who was born seven minutes earlier than Sam, revealed his hat-wearing came about by accident.
“I wear a hat at work all day and I just left it on one night,” the 19-year-old said.
“I like wearing a hat so I just keep doing it.”
Charlie said he and Sam were used to people mixing them up.
“On game day it’s just Youngy,” he said.
“I just cop it. If they (teammates) have a go and call me Sam I will just go with it.”
The brothers have become a talking point with the Kangaroos this season, not just because of their physical similarities but their hard-running approach to the game. Small in stature (174cm) but big on pace and desire to pressure opponents, the Youngmans have become a key ingredient in the Kangaroos line-up, with Sam playing a permanent defensive role.
“Because we are not big, we are probably the smallest in the whole league, we focus on areas we can use to our advantage. The run and pace, obviously we are not going to be taking pack marks,” Charlie said.
The pair joined the Kangaroos this season after returning from Geelong Grammar, where they completed their VCE studies. They are working on their parents’ sheep and cattle property at Grassdale, north of Digby, about 40 kilometres west of Hamilton.
Charlie, who has played a variety of roles up forward and in the midfield, said they loved the Kangaroos.
But their appearances will be limited to just three more because they have a trip to Europe booked as part of their gap year before heading to Melbourne University.
Charlie, who will pursue an agriculture degree, said Sam, who was exploring a science degree, would miss the Kangaroos.
“We planned the trip while we were at uni. We didn’t know we were going to come in and play footy. If we had known how good it was going to be we might have put it off. We will miss the end of the season unfortunately,” he said.
“The culture is the most strong part. Coming in to a side where the ages range from mid 30s to our age, I thought it would be a bit divided but everyone is pretty good and gets along.”
He said he and his brother were keen to play in a few more wins before their departure, starting today against Camperdown at Melville Oval. The Kangaroos (2-4) have won both their home games so far.
“Hopefully we can keep that going. It’s going to be a tough game,” Charlie said.