Sport
1 March, 2026
Young Tiger makes Pioneers squad
O’Sullivan is the only North Central junior to have been named in the 45-player squad for 2026.
SEA LAKE Nandaly’s Cruz O’Sullivan has been named in the elite Bendigo Pioneers Under 18 squad for the second season in a row.
O’Sullivan is the only North Central junior to have been named in the 45-player squad for 2026.
He appeared five times for the Pioneers in the Coates Talent League last season while representing the Tigers 11 times at senior level and three times in the reserves.
O’Sullivan also played six games for the Under 17s, being named in the best players five times, including in the grand final win over Boort.
In a busy season, he turned out for the North Central representative team against the Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL and kicked two goals. His debut for Sea Lake Nandaly seniors in July 2024 saw him play with his father, Ryan.
The Coates Talent League is established as the main pathway to being drafted to the AFL.
Three players from the neighbouring Loddon Valley league have been chosen for the squad – Pyramid Hill’s Xavier Emmerson, and Maiden Gully duo Lewis Pigdon and Drew Warren.
Bendigo FNL juniors dominate the squad, with eight Sandhurst players named among 15 representatives from that league. Charlton’s Seb Zagame, Boort’s Cooper Gooding and Sea Lake’s Judd Durie trained with the squad but did not make the final cut.
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