“I put it down to we’ve had a couple of outstanding people involved in the program during the pre-season in Chris McLaren and Ben Goodall, who trained the boys up,” he said.

“The standard they need to get to is a massive jump from underage football to TAC Cup and certainly Chris and Ben have training standards that are very high.”

Partington, who also praised under 16 mentors Ben van de Camp and Noel Mugavin, said Warrnambool region players dominated the Rebels’ best 22.

“The boys want to improve and are willing to work hard, that’s been a big factor in it,” he said.

“The top-age boys is probably the strongest group that’s come through for a while. It’s always been a successful football heartland and we’re seeing the benefits.”