JARROD and Thomas Berry will make history this weekend when they become the first pair of brothers to concurrently captain Vic Country's under-18 and under-16 sides at national level.
Jarrod was named skipper of the Country side for its NAB AFL Under-18 Championships campaign and will again lead out the team for its round four clash with Western Australia at Etihad Stadium on Friday.
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His younger brother Thomas, also a member of the North Ballarat Rebels program in the TAC Cup, will captain the under-16 team as it starts its carnival on Sunday against Vic Metro.
"It's an outstanding achievement for the Berry family, the Horsham Saints football club, and also the Rebels program to have two brothers named captain of their Vic Country sides," said Phil Partington, the Rebels' region manager.
"It's a really good achievement. They're very humble boys and they show some really good leadership traits naturally. That's shown through the process of the Vic Country captaincy process."
Jarrod had an interrupted lead-in to Country's championships this season with a shoulder injury, which forced him out for four weeks before the national carnival.
He was named an All Australian last year as a bottom-aged player and has so far been used off half-back through this year's championships, where his run and drive has been effective.
He is tipped to be an early selection at November's NAB AFL Draft and is also captain of the Rebels in the TAC Cup.
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Thomas moved from Horsham to join his older brother at Ballarat's Clarendon College this year, and has been more involved in the Rebels' program since making the shift.
Partington said Thomas is following a familiar pathway to Jarrod.
"He's a very caring young bloke and he wants to know more about his peers and how he can help them out with the way he plays," Partington said.
"He's a similar type of player to Jarrod in that he's a running type of half-back flanker who can play in the midfield, but he's a different shape to his brother at this point of time."
The division one under-16 championships begin for the Victorian rivals at Simonds Stadium on Sunday, before the final two rounds are played at the Gold Coast next month.
Vic Country won last year's under-18 and under-16 titles, but its slow start to this year's under-18 championships will cost it back-to-back carnival successes.
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