AFTER starting the season with consecutive wins, the Bendigo Pioneers Talent League Boys side will be hoping to return to form when they travel north and host the GWV Rebels in Swan Hill on Sunday.
It will be the first time since 2022 that the Pioneers have played a match for premiership points in Swan Hill, with a large contingent of Central Murray talent set to be on show.
Koondrook-Barham’s Ryan Bassett and Harry Bremner will both take to the Showgrounds along with Tyntynder junior Patrick Blake, former Swan Hill junior Seamus Doherty and Nyah-Nyah West United premiership player Ethan Curran.
Joining them will be another premiership Demon in Max Thompson, who will make his Talent League debut for the Pioneers despite being eligible for the Pioneers under-16 boys squad.
While the Central Murray stars will have all eyes on them, Bendigo Pioneers head coach Danny O’Bree’s focus will be on his squad playing “team orientated footy” against the Rebels on Sunday.
“I think what we probably want to see from a program point of view is that we play a little bit more team oriented footy,” O’Bree told The Guardian this week.
“We’ve gone away from that over the last two games, which is probably the reason why we haven’t been as successful, but in those games with we’ve had some pretty good moments and some pretty good individual performances.
“But I think if we just have a higher urgency on the team stuff, I think we’ll show our best footy, rather than getting a bit caught up in the individual stuff.
“There’s been Vic. Country trials over the last couple of weeks and people want to get noticed for their own individual deeds.
“I completely understand it and that’s definitely a trend that’s happened over the years and we can’t blame the players for wanting to prove themselves as individuals, but as we all know, with regards to team sport you just can’t do it all by yourself and you definitely shine a lot brighter if you’re doing the team stuff.”
While the performances of the Central Murray boys will be watched keenly, so too will some of the Pioneers other potential draftees, with Jessie Johnstone, Finlay Lockhart, Hunter Wright and Cody Walker, the son of 202 game Carlton forward Andrew Walker, also keen to make an impression.
Bendigo will take on a GWV Rebels outfit that will be desperate to take home the win, with the visitors coming into the match with a two win, one loss record from their three games this season.
While both clubs results have been up and down throughout the early rounds of the season, this particular fixture is always a tightly contested and highly competitive fixture according to O’Bree, who is looking forward to showcasing the elite level of skill to a new audience on Sunday.
“We always know that it’s going to be a really competitive game when the two teams play each other,” O’Bree said.
“We’re obviously pretty close as a region and there’s always that Bendigo and Ballarat rivalry.
“The game itself I think will be brutally contested, it’s going to be a hard fought contest and a really passionate game, which is exactly what the spirit of footy should be played in.
“I think is it’s going to be as competitive game a game as the two teams are probably going to play in all year and even though we’re all about showcasing talent and not results focused, when the siren goes, everyone definitely wants the W.”
The Rebels squad will contain potential draftees Archie Taylor and Harley Hicks after suffering a one-point loss to the Sydney Swans academy team last Saturday.
