The Bendigo Pioneers will unveil 10 rookies in their TAC Cup opening round clash with the Murray Bushrangers on Saturday.
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Matt Harvey (Strathfieldsaye), Jacob Atley (Rochester), Zach Denahy (Castlemaine), Cooper Barber (Echuca), Jobee Warde (Moama), Lachlan Gill (Strathfieldsaye), Daine Grace (Golden Square), Jose Miliado (Woorineen), Rourke Turner (Sandhurst) and Kobe Hommelhoff (Eaglehawk) will make their TAC Cup debut.
Grace and Turner have aligned with BFNL clubs Golden Square and Sandhurst after relocating from Mildura and Broken Hill respectively.
Jacob Atley is the brother of North Melbourne’s Shaun Atley and Port Adelaide’s Joe Atley.
Harvey and Hommelhoff earned their place in the Pioneers squad on the back of impressive performances in the BFNL senior competition last year.
Harvey kicked 20 goals in 11 games for the Storm, including five hauls of three or more goals. Hommelhoff played the final 14 games of the year for the Hawks, including three finals.
Meanwhile, Balranald’s Laine Fitzgerald and Strathfieldsaye’s Angus Schumacher have been appointed captain and vice-captain respectively for 2017.
Fitzgerald will miss the round one game because of NSW squad commitments, so Schumacher will toss the coin against the Bushrangers.
Bendigo Pioneers team to play Murray at Punt Rd on Saturday at 3.15pm:
B: 39. L. Gill, 5. T. Campbell, 43. J. Nitschke
HB: 49. J. Miliado, 4. K. Betson, 16. J. Atley
C: 19. M. Kemp, 20. A. Schumacher, 2. K. Farrell
HF: 25. L. Davis, 41. D. Grace, 7. M. Harvey
F: 12. L. Wallace, 18. B. Henderson, 14. C. McCarthy
R: 59. R. Burns, 57. K. Hommelhoff, 1. P. Dow
Inter: 37. H. Schaeche, 21. I. Fyfe, 27. B. Torpey, 34. C. Barber, 35. J. Warde, 28. Z. Denahy, 15. D. Henderson, 52. R. Turner.