West Warrnambool's Joe Nyikos given late call-up to Warrnambool Melbourne Country Week squad

The 20-year-old apprentice plumber was a late call-up to the Warrnambool squad for the carnival, replacing Mortlake's Lachie Wareham, and said he was surprised to receive the phone call but excited to make the trip and test himself.

"I was shocked to be honest but I'm honoured," he said of the call-up.

"Dad (Peter) played country week so it makes it all the more special doing something he was able to do.

"I know it'll be high-quality cricket and playing against blokes you don't know either so it's not like they're going to go easy on you, so you've just got to prepare for the challenge.

"I'll just do what I need to for the team and try my best, it's all you can really do."

He said the unique chance to brush shoulders with the association's best players was a thrill.

"It means a fair bit for me, there's blokes in there that are really experienced so it's pretty special," he said.

"Being able to watch blokes like Cam Williams, Ben Threlfall, Jack Burnham go about it as well is pretty cool.

"You can learn a lot off them, their tempos of the game and stuff like that.

"It's special to get to go away with them, learn off them and play with them and see how they adapt to certain situations."

The gifted youngster said he was working hard on his cricket at club level.

"My form's not too bad, probably could do a little bit better," he said.

"You keep learning, I've got a few blokes to lean on in Alastair Templeton, Benny Threlfall which is good. It takes a bit more responsibility having those kinds of blokes around me."

With pitches in Melbourne expected to be flatter and faster, he said he was looking forward to the opportunity to play on grounds which suited his cricket.

"I played a bit of under 14s and 16s Western Waves (in Melbourne)," he said.

"I'm looking forward to it. I like the quicker bowling.

"Playing on some nice flat wickets will hopefully suit my game for batting and bowling."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content:

Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.