Echuca’s Luke Oellermann fights for a mark against Nauru at the AFL Pacific Cup.
Luke Oellermann’s journey to the AFL Pacific Cup was the experience of a lifetime.
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The Echuca football product was selected by the country of his birth, South Africa, to compete in the under-17 boys’ division at the tournament, held from Thursday, November 14 to Sunday, November 17 in Maroochydore, Queensland.
“It was something that I will remember for ever,” Oellermann said.
“It was a really good experience.
“I almost wish it went for two weeks instead of one.”
Oellermann checked in to camp on Monday, November 11, meeting teammates for the first time and taking part in a crucial few days of training ahead of the opening round of matches.
The squad was made up of a mix of South Africa-based players, and, like Oellermann, South African citizens living in Australia.
He was quickly identified as a leader among the group during initial trainings, installed as the squad’s vice-captain and stepping up to captain later in the competition when the named captain was unavailable.
“I think the coaches saw how I was getting to know the boys a few days before the games, and that’s sort of what put me in that position,” he said.
South Africa started off slowly in the under-17s, facing stiff competition against Nauru and failing to score in a 7.5 (47) to 0 defeat on November 14.
Improvement was evident in game two the next day, where the Lions suffered a two-goal loss to Fiji 3.8 (26) to 2.2 (14).
Things really clicked in game three when Oellermann’s squad scored its first win of the tournament, defeating Papua New Guinea 4.0 (24) to 1.8 (14) in what would be PNG’s only defeat of the competition.
The Lions concluded their campaign on Sunday with a hard-fought draw against Tonga, South Africa logging an accurate 5.0 (30) to the Tongans’ 4.6 (30).
Luke Oellermann’s efforts for South Africa earned him joint best-and-fairest honours in the under-17s.
Its overall record left South Africa in a respectable third place out of the five competing sides, Nauru taking top spot.
“First game was pretty rough, but we were able to bounce back and ended up beating one of the best teams there (PNG), which was really good,” Oellermann said.
“The boys came together really well towards the end of it and really improved.
“You saw a massive difference between their first and last game, which was good.”
Oellermann felt the style of competition didn’t differ too much from what he was used to at Echuca.
“Surprisingly, it wasn’t actually too much different at all, they’ve grasped the game really well,” he said.
“There were a few boys that play (in Australia) that were really talented.”
On a personal level, Oellermann was one of the stars of the competition, keeping the Lions’ midfield engine ticking over.
His efforts led to him being named as best-and-fairest in the under-17 competition, sharing the award with Nauru player Red Grundler.
“I didn’t expect it at all, so I was really grateful to get (best-and-fairest),” he said.
The AFL Pacific Cup featured men’s, women’s, and under-17 boys’ and girls’ competitions.
South Africa only featured in the under-17 boys, while the senior sections also included New Zealand sides.
Oellermann is now gearing up for season 2025, linking back with Echuca to kick off pre-season training.
