Newcombe grew up in the small rural town of Poowong in Southern Gippsland, and attended the nearby Drouin Secondary College.
Newcombe's AFL career started at the Hawthorn affiliate Box Hill Hawks in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
He played a practice match for Box Hill at the start of 2020 and was asked to return in November after Melbourne was released from lockdown.
He made the long commute twice a week from Warragul, where he was working, to training at Box Hill.
[2] Newcombe was selected with pick two in the 2021 mid-season draft, having caught the eye of recruiters after an impressive campaign with the Box Hill Hawks across the first half of the 2021 VFL season.