THE Bendigo Pioneers want to represent their entire region.
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So when the under 18 football club’s round 12 match against the Murray Bushrangers coincided with the Echuca versus Rochester round 12 Goulburn Valley League clash on June 29, the Pioneers put a plan in place.
‘‘We got on the phone to (Echuca president) Ash Byrne,’’ Pioneers talent manager Steve Sharp said.
‘‘We did a bit of shuffling so we could play as a curtain raiser to the seniors.”
It will be the second NAB League (formerly TAC Cup) match the Pioneers play at Victoria Park during the season, the other being the round eight clash against Sandringham Dragons on May 18.
‘‘We have a great relationship with these towns, a number of our players come from this region and we’re really excited to get to bring our club to Echuca,’’ Sharp said.
‘‘Hopefully we have a strong local representation when we do.’’
The region supplies 11 Pioneers players — three from Rochester, two from Kyabram and one Deniliquin footballer to go with five Echuca boys who will hopefully be key components in 2019.
Headlining the group from the Murray Bombers is Brodie Kemp, an intercept-marking machine who has been highly touted by draft experts — one listing him as ‘‘arguably the most advanced defender from the 2019 crop.’’
Sharp said Kemp is one of the best talents for the club this season.
‘‘He’s a terrific young man,’’ Sharp said.
‘‘He’s highly rated for what he does as a defender and we have high hopes for him.
“We will probably only see him in six or seven games this season due to his commitments with Geelong Grammar though.’’
The Pioneers will also include Jack Evans, Joe Guiney, Matt Lias and Riley Clarke from Echuca.
‘‘Jack has been producing great football recently,’’ Sharp said.
‘‘He’s got a lot of talent and as a bottom age player we will likely see Jack in the middle of the year.
‘‘Joe has been a late developer due to being born later in the year, but he has come along really nicely.
‘‘He’s produced some strong form in our practice matches, so we really like what he brings to the table.
‘‘Matt played a few games in 2018. He’s not the biggest, but he has the ability to play as a small at both ends. It’s always good to have guys that can perform in multiple positions.
‘‘Riley is an overage player, originally a basketballer which has helped with developing quick hands and great decision making. He’s played a few games with us already and we expect he will be able to add a few more to that this year.’’
The Pioneers are coming off finishing last with a 2-15 record — a record that Sharp says isn’t as simple as the numbers suggest.
‘‘In my time we’ve had two seasons away from the bottom of the ladder,’’ he said.
‘‘With this competition, it’s not about parity and everyone having the same chance. If it was, there would be 20 teams instead of 12, Oakleigh would have two sides and they’d probably both finish in the top three.
‘‘We are a development league; we are here to give young kids an opportunity to improve against other players their age at a top level. We have improved and may win a few more games this year though.
‘‘In terms of development we have a great track record. We’ve had eight drafted since 2014 and expect to add a couple more this year. In statewide testing, where the kids are put through the same testing as at the draft combine, we were top three.
‘‘We are really proud of the work this program has done.’’
The Pioneers have roughly 11,000 players in the region to choose from, with players often hundreds of kilometres from their Bendigo base.
Bigger metropolitan sides can have four or five times that number all in the same area.
As a result, Pioneers players train at multiple different bases
‘‘We have a training base in Mildura, one in Swan Hill, one in Moama. These guys train together as small groups; they don’t spend a lot of time together as a full group.
‘‘But we see that as a great thing, we love that we have such a vast region to choose from and we love that we get to give back to that region.’’
The Pioneers boys side begin their season against the Geelong Falcons on Sunday.
■ THE Pioneers girls side continues their season this weekend in Geelong, coming up against the competitions top side the Geelong Falcons.
The Pioneers currently sit in seventh place on the ladder with a win and a loss to their name, having lost their opening game to the Greater Western Victoria Rebels by five points.
Charlotte McGillivray and Shae Oliver both played their opening games of the season in that clash.
Baldwin remained in the side for the second match, with the Pioneers winning against Eastern Ranges by three points.
Sports journalist