Seven youngsters get Academy honours
By Jack McAnespie
Seven players have been highlighted as some of the nation’s brightest AFL talent, and will represent NSW/ACT in the revamped NAB AFL Academy System.
Talent and Coaching Manager for AFL NSW/ACT, Darren Denneman commented that it was quite an achievement for a non-traditional AFL state to be represented by such a large number of players, at both Level One (draft eligible in 2016), and Level Two (draft eligible in 2015).
“It is a great result for all in New South Wales and the ACT,” said Denneman.
“The players will be inducted into the program shortly before attending the first camp in AFL Grand Final Week.”
This great outcome for AFL in New South Wales and the ACT comes on the back of a review of the talent pathways towards the AFL, and a revamped Academy system.
The original Academy program began more than a decade and a half ago, in association with the Australian Institute of Sport.
At that time, the AFL-AIS offered 30 scholarships to young footballers, in an attempt to professionalize the talent pathways of the AFL.
Since then, the Academy has transformed into a vital part of the talent pathways throughout the nation for budding young footballers – particularly in states where Australian Rules is not the predominant football code such as NSW/ACT.
In 2013, the AIS indicated that they would no longer be continuing in their joint position as hosts of the Academy, leading to planning about how best to continue with the Academy without the aid of such an integral partner.
However, the AFL has continued the Academy in Season 2014 with the help of its major sponsor, NAB, and has this year, been broken up into two separate levels; Level One – for players eligible for the following year’s draft (2016), selected from the NAB AFL U16 Championships, and Level Two – for players eligible for that year’s draft (2015).
The Squads will come together for the first time, as mentioned, in late September in Melbourne, around the time of the AFL Grand Final, and will continue to meet right through until December, in the lead up to the Draft, and further into the future.
Whereas in the past, the Academy squads, in association with the AIS, have travelled to high performance training bases in Europe, the squads will now travel to the United States to perform similar training camps to those of AFL Clubs, before the commencement of the TAC Cup Season.
Level Two players will be given the opportunity to be involved with AFL Clubs in a more hands-on manner thanks to the new system, after being invited into different clubs throughout November and then again in January.
The new system is sure to see a further improvement in the talent pathways towards the AFL, and thus, an improvement in the quality of players coming out of these pathways.
The following players have been selected as part of the NAB AFL Academy in 2014 to represent NSW/ACT.
Level 2-draft eligible in 2015
Callum Mills- North Shore/Swans Academy
Jacob Hopper- North Ballarat Rebels/Leeton-Whitton/Giants Academy
Dylan McDonald- Murray Bushrangers/Albury/Giants Academy
Level 1-draft eligible in 2016
Zachary Sproule- Albury/Giants Academy
Kobe Mutch- Wentworth/Giants Academy
William Setterfield- Scot’s/Caulfield Grammar/Giants Academy
Harrison MacReadie- Henty/Giants Academy
