NHILL’S Tyson Harris and Ararat’s Matt Taylor made a winning start at the national inclusion football carnival on Tuesday to help Vic Country qualify for division one.
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The Vic Country team won five of its seven games in the lightning carnival which was used to sort the eight teams into two divisions.
Wins against Tasmania, NSW-ACT, the Northern Territory and Queensland were followed by losses to Vic Metro and South Australia.
A win against Western Australia in its last match of the qualifying carnival allowed the Vic Country side to finish third and be placed in division one.
Harris played off the half-back flank and through the midfield on the opening day.
He said the team was had a lot of familiar faces to last year’s carnival but new players had also fitted in well.
“They’ve come into the team really well and have played some good footy,” he said.
“We’ve won our way into the top division which is already better than last year.”
It will face Queensland, Vic Metro and and South Australia in division one pool games over the coming three days before finals.
“I think we will be able to go really good in the top division,” Harris said.
“I think we should be able to get up for the grand final on Saturday.”
The Wimmera pair won their places in the side in May after two selection trials and have since been training hard at their home clubs.
Harris won All-Australian selection at his first national carnival in 2017 and said he would love to earn selection again.
“There are a lot of good players here though,” he said.