Sprinting battles with older brother helping GWV Rebels footballer kick on

The Cobden defender likes to test himself against older brother Josh, who competes on the Victorian Athletic League scene.

Ben, 17, is two years younger but is also blessed with a turn of speed - something he uses to his advantage on the football field.

"It is always good to go out there and do some hard sprints and know that he will push me as hard as I want to be pushed because I will give it to him if he doesn't," he told The Standard of their sibling rivalry.

"He's only got me in the 100m, I think I've got him in everything else like the long distance."

Ben said Josh, 19, was dedicated to running after joining the professional ranks as a relative newcomer in his late teens.

The Mercy Regional College student, who is one of 17 Hampden league talents in the Rebels' squad, is proud of Josh's improvement on the running track.

"It is always good fun to watch him do it," Ben said.

"He's getting better and better every time I see him. He'll get there I think if he keeps pushing."

Ben is hoping his own speed and agility - he's a fan of long jump - will help him add to the two matches he played for the Rebels as a bottom-age prospect last season.

The right-footer is working on his kicking skills and hopes to cement a spot in the David Loader-coached side's back line when the season rolls around in three months' time.

"I am definitely a lot more confident. I didn't play many games (last season) but I got to watch a lot and see how it goes and get comfortable in this high-level footy," he said.

"It was good to play a game or two and know what to expect and learn about what I really needed to work on for that level of footy.

"I am keen for this year because I have worked on what I needed to work on."

Ben, who will play his entire top-age season as a 17-year-old with his birthday falling in October, feels playing behind the ball is his best position.

"I am mainly good one-on-one (contests), I try not to lose many of them," he said.

"My speed is one of my key points and using my acceleration, speed and jump.

"They put me on the wing last year which was a different role for me. I wanted to see how I'd go but I didn't do as well as I thought.

"The back line is probably my spot because I played there in seniors (for Cobden), I played there for all my footy really. It is a spot I know very well."

Ben is one of four Cobden teenagers in the Rebels' 2024 squad.

He joins fellow top-age duo Flynn Penry and Rhys Unwin and bottom-age talent Archie Taylor.

Taylor's dad Brett has been one of the biggest influences on Ben's football.

"BT was my under 16s coach (at Cobden) and he's come around to the Rebels for a bit," he said.

"He's always been by my side, helping me and pushing me in the ways I need to be pushed and putting me in a position where I need to play to play my best footy. He's been a really big help for me."

The Rebels return to pre-season training in late January when the school holidays wrap up.