Williams represents NSW at Draft
By Will Dempsey
The AFL’s next generation of players commenced the NAB 2012 National Draft Combine yesterday at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne.
Of the 114 players at the combine just one New South Welshman is among them – Zac Williams will be vying to impress over the next 3 days at the combine.
Williams, who hails from Narrandera in the Riverina region, was a standout at this year’s Under-18 Championships winning the NSW/ACT Rams Most Valuable Player Award.
AFL National Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan said Williams is a versatile midfielder who showed strong promise at the Championships, where he averaged 17 possessions (9.5 contested), 5.5 clearances and four tackles.
“Williams can go forward or back. Very good at winning contested ball with his clean hands and strong clearances,” Sheehan said in his initial review.
“He uses the ball extremely well by both hand and foot and can be even more dangerous through his ability to kick goals.”
Williams along with the other Draft prospects will participate in testing that will measure athletic attributes, such as speed, agility and endurance along with refined drills to assess football skills.
Kevin Sheehan said the combine offers the ultimate stage to finally impress club recruits.
“The combine represents the final chance for players to present their case for inclusion on an AFL list,” Sheehan said.
“AFL clubs have made their judgment on a prospect’s playing ability and game sense, but at the combine they can look a little deeper into the physical, skill-based and intangible areas.”
NSW/ACT Talent and Coaching Manager Darren Denneman likens Williams’s game to that of superstar Swans midfielder Josh Kennedy.
“Zac is an inside midfielder who is able to consistently win the contested ball away from stoppages in the vein of Josh Kennedy,” Denneman said.
NAB 2012 National Draft will be held at the Gold Coast Convention centre on the 22nd November.
Tuesday October 2
Draft Combine Welcome
Fitness Assessment – Height/Weight/Skin folds/Arm Length/Handspan
Psychomotor Tests – Reaction time/Decision making/ Peripheral awareness
Wednesday October 3
Sprints/Agility (jumping)
Repeat sprint test
Thursday October 4
Matthew Lloyd clean hands/handpassing test
Nathan Buckley kicking test
Brad Johnson goal-kicking test
Friday October 5
3km time trial
Psychomotor Tests – Reaction time/Decision making/ Peripheral awareness
