VICTORIA’S most talented Under 18 footballers were put through their paces at the recent NAB League Fitness Testing Day at Maribyrnong College last Saturday, with plenty of impressive results. Rookie Me hosted the event, which welcomed more than 600 athletes from across the NAB League and NAB League Girls competition.

Every available NAB League Boys player, and up to five NAB League Girls players from each side – seven for Dandenong Stingrays – tested themselves with vertical jumps, 20m sprints and AFL agility tests. The Boys then took part in the yo-yo, while the Girls completed a 2km time trial.

Rookie Me Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Adham Dimachki said the large-scale event was a success thanks to the dedication of the Rookie Me team.

“As the Official Talent ID Partner of the AFL, we are proud to host the annual NAB League Fitness Testing Day at Maribyrnong College,” he said. “It is the largest high-performance one-day testing event on the AFL calendar, and both the male and female talent on show only further justified its importance. “It is always great to have AFL recruiters in attendance, as it is an opportunity for them to gauge the athletic talent of this year’s AFL draft hopefuls. “The day would not be possible without the incredible work of our 65 team members, who ensured the event was a success.”

Calder Cannons’ Thomas Cartwright dominated the vertical jumps topping the standing vertical jump, as well as both the right and left running vertical jumps. Northern Knights’ Jonah Potter took out the 20m sprint with a blistering 2.86-second run, while Western Jets’ Harrison White won the AFL agility test in 7.86 seconds, while teammate Harry Sharp lasted the longest in the yo-yo test finishing on level 22.4.

NAB League Boys

Standing Vertical Jump:

1 Thomas Cartwright (Calder) 79cm
2 Max Simpson (Calder) 70cm
3 Jonah Potter (Northern) 67cm
4 James Cleaver (GWV) 66cm
5 Archie Manton (Western) 65cm
6 Daniel Mott (Calder) 63cm
6 Jackson Hannah (Sandringham) 63cm
6 Blake Kuipers (Dandenong) 63cm
6 John Roysmith (Dandenong) 63cm
6 James Mittel (Bendigo) 63cm

Running Vertical Jump (Right):

1 Thomas Cartwright (Calder) 84cm
2 Jay Robertson (Oakleigh) 81cm
3 Riley Clarke (Bendigo) 77cm
4 Sam Flanders (Gippsland) 76cm
4 Brady Rowles (Bendigo) 76cm
4 Nick Bryan (Oakleigh) 76cm
4 Nathan Howard (Northern) 76cm
5 Tom Graham (Oakleigh) 74cm
5 Josh Honey (Western) 74cm

Running Vertical Jump (Left):

1 Thomas Cartwright (Calder) 85cm
2 Cooper Vick (Bendigo) 84cm
3 Nash Reynolds (Western) 83cm
4 Sam Flanders (Gippsland) 80cm
4 James Cleaver (GWV) 80cm
6 Oscar Sasalu (Calder) 79cm
6 Giacomo Thomas (Calder) 79cm
6 Hugo Ralphsmith (Sandringham) 79cm

20m Sprint:

1 Jonah Potter (Northern) 2.84 seconds
2 Archie Perkins (Sandringham) 2.85 seconds
3 Tom Fitzpatrick (Gippsland) 2.86 seconds
4 Kade Brown (Murray) 2.88 seconds
5 Joshua Crawford (Murray) 2.89 seconds
6 Nick Bryan (Oakleigh) 2.91 seconds
6 Regan Uwandu (Northern) 2.91 seconds
6 James Cleaver (GWV) 2.91 seconds

Agility:

1 Harrison White (Western) 7.69 seconds
2 James Cleaver (GWV) 7.87 seconds
3 Blake Reid (Geelong) 7.88 seconds
4 Mitch Riordan (Dandenong) 7.93 seconds
5 Riley Ironside (Bendigo) 7.96 seconds
6 Jake Bowey (Sandringham) 8.01 seconds
7 Charlie Ham (Geelong) 8.02 seconds
8 Thomson Dow (Bendigo) 8.02 seconds
8 Jack Hickman (Bendigo) 8.02 seconds
10 Lachlan Smith (Geelong) 8.03 seconds
10 Joey Ayton-Delaney (Oakleigh) 8.03 seconds

Yo-yo:

1 Harry Sharp (GWV) 22.4 level
2 Jack Hickman (Bendigo) 22.1 level
2 Chas Karpala (Geelong) 22.1 level
2 Mitch Mellis (Eastern) 22.1 level
2 Sam Clifford (Western) 22.1 level
2 Jay Rantall (GWV) 22.1 level
7 Nicholas Kitchell (Northern) 21.8 level
8 Matthew Rowell (Oakleigh) 21.7 level
9 Ben Nikolovski (Northern) 21.6 level
9 Cooper Barbera (Northern) 21.6 level
9 Harrison White (Western) 21.6 level

For the NAB League Girls, Sandringham performed strongly across all tests, including having a remarkable top five performers in the Running Vertical Jump (Right). Margie Purcell and Molly Denahy Maloney showed off their athletic traits, finishing top five in every test. Calder Cannons’ Makeisha Muller was also impressive with the highest standing vertical jump, running verttical jump (right) and top five in the 20m sprint. Murray Bushrangers’ Mikaela Trethowan, Sandringham’s Celia Cody, Western’s Isabella Grant and Cleo Saxon-Jones, and GWV’s Ella Wood were also impressive among the Girls, finishing top five in multiple events.

NAB League Girls

Standing Vertical Jump:

1 Makeisha Muller (Calder) 47cm
2 Margie Purcell (Sandringham) 45cm
3 Molly Denahy Maloney (Sandringham) 44cm
4 Celia Cody (Sandringham) 42cm
4 Cleo Saxon-Jones (Western) 42cm
6 Mikaela Trethowan (Murray) 41cm
6 Ella Wood (GWV) 41cm
6 Isabella Grant (Western) 41cm

Running Vertical Jump (Right):

1 Margie Purcell (Sandringham) 67cm
2 Molly Denahy Maloney (Sandringham) 67cm
3 Celia Cody (Sandringham) 60cm
4 Bryanna Arnold (Sandringham) 55cm
5 Taylah Grasso (Sandringham) 54cm
5 Isabella Grant (Western) 54cm

Running Vertical Jump (Left):

1 Makeisha Muller (Calder) 60cm
2 Mikaela Trethowan (Murray) 55cm
2 Cleo Saxo-Jones (Western) 55cm
4 Isabella Grant (Western) 53cm
4 Margie Purcell (Sandringham) 53cm
6 Gabrielle Newton (Northern) 52cm
7 Molly Denahy Maloney (Sandringham) 50cm
7 Ella Wood (GWV) 50cm
7 Elizabeth Snell (Bendigo) 50cm

20m sprint:

1 Margie Purcell (Sandringham) 3.26 seconds
2 Molly Denahy Maloney (Sandringham) 3.27 seconds
2 Ciara Fitzgerald (Northern) 3.27 seconds
4 Makeisha Muller (Calder) 3.31 seconds
4 Mikaela Trethowan (Murray) 3.31 seconds
4 Isabella Grant (Western) 3.31 seconds

Agility:

1 Molly Denahy Maloney (Sandringham) 8.39 seconds
2 Elisabeth Georgostathis (Western) 8.43 seconds
3 Amelia Van Oosterwijck (Oakleigh) 8.64 seconds
4 Charli Boschetti (Murray) 8.68 seconds
5 Elise Vella (Geelong) 8.69 seconds
6 Margie Purcell (Sandringham) 8.74 seconds
6 Britney Gutknecht (Northern) 8.74 seconds