Eamon Hyde, 15, of St Mary of the Angels Secondary College in Nathalia, has been selected to compete in the 2025 School Sports Victoria Australian Rules football team, slotted to go up against the best in the code in July.
A dynamic presence on-field for the Cobram Tigers across half forward, halfback and midfield, Hyde said he was a bit surprised to be picked for the representative team.
“I was a bit surprised that I got picked because I didn’t play the greatest in the first two trials. But then I played not too bad in the last trial, and put my best foot forward,” Hyde said.
It’s not the first time the 187cm-tall talent has entered the School Sports Victoria ranks, with a taste of the action in 2022 as part of Victoria’s under-12 side.
“It was pretty cool. It’s a different experience playing against all the best players in the country. And playing five games in a week is a bit difficult, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” he said.
Looking ahead, Hyde has his eyes on making his way into contention for a spot in the AFL ranks one day for either his favoured Richmond Tigers or Collingwood Magpies.
In the meantime, he has his jumper presentation and a three-day camp in Melbourne in the first week of the upcoming school holidays to look forward to.
Hyde will then join his teammates to compete against squads from across Australia at the School Sport Australia Championships in Brisbane in July.
Last year, Hyde tied for the Murray League’s best-and-fairest in the under-14s, and was also the league’s leading goalscorer with 80 goals from 22 games.
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