Hampden league footballers George Stevens, Luamon Lual and Finn O'Sullivan make 2023 Vic Country under 18 team

Now George Stevens, Luamon Lual and Finn O'Sullivan are preparing to team up for Vic Country on the football field at the AFL under 18 national championships.

South Warrnambool-aligned Stevens and Lual are top-age prospects, with this year's draft on their radars.

Koroit-linked O'Sullivan is a year younger and must bide his time before he becomes eligible for the 2024 draft.

The national championships will be the first time all three have played on the same football team.

But there is already a connection, having spent countless summers on hardwood floors across Victoria playing representative basketball for Warrnambool.

"It is pretty amazing - a bit of a full circle moment considering I played all of my basketball with them two boys," Stevens told The Standard.

"Finn was a year below me so anytime our age groups aligned where he was bottom-age and Luamon and I were top-age, we were always in the same team, so under 12s, 14s, 16s and 18s, so four or five years of basketball together. We all had our attributes. Finn was a very good point guard and could get to the basket."

Lual too is excited to have familiar faces alongside him as he embarks on the next stage of his fledgling career.

"It is pretty cool. We grew up playing a lot of basketball and football together so to see that progress continue and to be playing together in the under 18 champs is pretty special, not just for us as individuals but for our families and the Warrnambool community," he said.

Lual and Stevens are in year 12 at Warrnambool's Emmanuel College and often commute to Ballarat and Melbourne for GWV Rebels' football training and games.

Year 11 student O'Sullivan is boarding at Melbourne-based Xavier College and playing for Oakleigh Chargers.

"It is great to see all the boys down here are getting recognised because it's definitely quite hard for the country boys to travel to training," O'Sullivan said.

"I think I have had it a lot easier at boarding school, even just with training, now that I am at Oakleigh it's only a 10-minute drive (from school) whereas for some boys like George and Luamon travelling to Rebels each week it would definitely be hard and exhausting, especially because they're in year 12."

School provides an outlet and different sort of motivation for the three emerging athletes.

Lual, whose mother Regina passed away in 2020, said education was important.

He plans to study health or business at university.

"I get a group of mates (at school) and stay behind for an hour or whatever it will be to purely focus on hitting the books and getting school right which helps with the balance," Lual said.

"I try to do that as many days as I can each week. "Coming from a South Sudanese background, they have the mindset of school being very important so I try to keep myself accountable to that and try my best."

Vic Country's campaign starts on Sunday against South Australia at Carlton's Ikon Park. It will then play Western Australia at the WACA on June 30 before facing the Allies (July 9) and Vic Metro (July 15).

Stevens, who can play midfield or defence, is eager to be involved after a knee injury ruled him out of his bottom-age year.

"The overriding emotion is a fair bit of excitement," he said. "They (recruiters) do place a bit of emphasis on the championships and the fact these are the games you want to do well in and these are the games you build for.

"I have had experience in the academy and played against some of the boys I'll come up against...in terms of the nerves, having an understanding of other players on other teams lowers that."

Lual expects to play across half-back. "I've been in some pretty good form throughout the year, been pretty consistent and I think the main thing is trying to focus on weekly goals," he said.

O'Sullivan, who prides himself on his football IQ, is battling a hip injury and will miss the opening week.

"I am getting on top of it now and hopefully I get a couple of Vic Country games in, that's the plan," he said.

"It is a bit frustrating at times but you have to look at the bigger picture, to get my body right. You can't rush these things because they will keep setting you back."

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