A basketballer, cricketer and cousin of an AFL draftee headline Hampden league’s representation in the 2017 Greater Western Victorian Rebels squad.
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Lukas Essenwagner, Lachie Wareham and Dale Cox were among 16 players from the league to make the TAC Cup club’s 44-strong list.
Rebels talent manager Phil Partington said Essenwagner – a former South Rovers junior premiership ruckman who has joined Koroit – was a multi-talented teenager.
“Lukas was an under 16 Rebels player and concentrated on basketball last year because it was his last year of underage Vic Country,” he said.
“He’s 192 or 193 centimetres, has a nice leap, good balance and is good through traffic.”
Wareham, a former Vic Country junior cricketer, was picked as an overage prospect, having impressed at club level for Terang Mortlake.
“He is a big-bodied lad and has a lot of power and has a great pair of hands,” Partington said.
“He’ll have to get his fitness up because he’s not a key forward in TAC Cup at 188cm. He’ll be a hit-up forward.”
Camperdown recruit Cox is related to first-year Brisbane Lion Cedric.
Scott Carlin and Harrison Hobbs (Terang Mortlake), Cooper Henson and Lochie Dawson (Hamilton Kangaroos), Josh Chatfield and Ethan McLaren (Koroit and Hawks), Matt Schnerring and Mitch Bidmade (Warrnambool) made the team for the first time.
Keegan Gray and Aaron Shepherd (Portland), Trent Reed (Cobden), Thomas Scott (Hamilton Kangaroos) and Mar Gattek (South Warrnambool) were retained for second seasons, as was Heywood prospect Tylar Watts.