Sport

Echuca duo selected in Vic Country U16s

By Christian Marchetti

Jun 3, 2026

Echuca duo Charlie Sutton (pictured) and Jackson Butterworth will play for the Victoria Country under-16s at the AFL National Development Championships.

Echuca’s Charlie Sutton and Jackson Butterworth have been included in the Victoria Country under-16 squad for the AFL National Development Championships.

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Victoria Country will take on Victoria Metro, South Australia and Western Australia in Pool A, with all matches to be live-streamed on the AFL Play YouTube channel.

The duo’s first game is the all-Victorian affair against Metro on Monday, June 8, with the fixture a part of a King’s Birthday double-header at Kennedy Community Centre.

Victoria Country will then play South Australia on Tuesday, July 14, followed by Western Australia on Friday, July 17, with both matches taking place on the Gold Coast.

Butterworth has been in excellent form for the Echuca Bombers in the Goulburn Murray Juniors under-16 division one competition, kicking 12 goals across five matches — which included a five-goal haul against Euroa and a half-dozen against Moama — and being named in the best players twice.

Meanwhile, Sutton has played once for Echuca’s other team in the same division, the Echuca Murray Bombers under-16s, where he kicked three goals and was named in the best against Shepparton United.

Three games into their seasons, the Murray Bombers squad sits second on the ladder with two wins, while the Bombers are winless, sitting fifth in the six-team division.

Sutton has also played once for Echuca’s under-18s in the Goulburn Valley League, where he impressed with a goal and was named in the best on Anzac Day against Kyabram.

The road to selection for the Victoria Country squad had multiple stages, with Butterworth and Sutton starting the process by being selected in the Bendigo Pioneers’ under-16 squad in the Coates Talent League.

Sixty players were selected across the six country-based Talent League teams — Bendigo, Dandenong Stingrays, Geelong Falcons, Gippsland Power, Murray Bushrangers and Greater Western Victoria Rebels — to trial for Victoria Country, with several sessions held to finalise the squad.

Across the Pioneers’ two Talent League games in March, Butterworth was named in the best once, while Sutton was also named in the best once and kicked two goals in a loss to Murray Bushrangers.

The Bendigo team had a total of four players selected for the Victoria Country squad, with Paddy Connelly and Charlie Dickins being the other two.