THERE were plenty of draft hopefuls putting their hand up for draft selection in November’s National AFL Draft at the Victorian and Rookie Me state combine last Friday with impressive performances across a number of athletic tests.

While the state combine did not feature additional tests such as the kicking, goal kicking or 2km time trial like the national combine, participants took part in the 20m sprint, agility test, vertical jump (both standing and running) as well as the brand new yo-yo test. Among the top performers were Essendon VFL pair Nick Hind and Alex Boyse, Calder Cannons’ Dylan Landt, Murray Bushrangers’ Jy Lane, Sandringham Dragons’ Seb Williams, Glenorchy’s Harrison Gunther and Gold Coast Suns Academy member Connor Nutting.

Hind and Boyse showed off their lighting pace with the top two places in the 20m sprint, with Hind blitzing the field in an eye-catching run of 2.92 seconds. Aspley’s Oskar Baker finished equal second with 2.98 seconds, while Landt was the highest TAC Cup performer, finishing in 2.99 seconds, just ahead of Geelong Falcons’ ruck Dane Hollenkamp and Williams.

Gippsland Power’s Callum Porter squeezed in between Gunther and Nutting in the agility test, with Gunther getting home in 8.22 seconds, just three hundredths of a second quicker than Porter who marginally recorded a time better than Nutting. Hind, Landt and Boyse all finished in the top 10, with other notable performers including Oakleigh Chargers’ Noah Answerth and Gippsland Power’s Nick Hogan.

Lane had no peer in the vertical jump, smashing both the standing (83cm) and the running (100cm) to be the clear top prospect. Boyse was the other standout in the standing vertical jump, recording 79cm, while Sandringham Dragons’ pair Kai Owens and Joel Amartey recorded 93 and 90cm respectively in the running vertical jump.

Finally, in the yo-yo test, Williamstown’s Brett Bewley showed off his endurance with an impressive 22.1 in the final event. The 22 year-old midfielder lasted the longest in the test to win ahead of Williams, Geelong Falcons’ Cooper Stephens and Northern Knights’ Max Dreher who have all known to have big endurance bases.

The draft prospects will now continue training in the lead-up to November’s draft where they hope they will be selected, and if not the National Draft, then hopefully thrown a lifeline in the rookie draft. See the full results below:

20m sprint:

Nick Hind (Essendon VFL) 2.92 seconds
Alex Boyse (Essendon VFL) 2.98
Oskar Baker (Aspley) 2.98
Dylan Landt (Calder Cannons) 2.99
Dane Hollenkamp (Geelong Falcons) 3.01
Seb Williams (Sandringham Dragons) 3.01
Doulton Langlands (Murray Bushrangers) 3.02
Joel Amartey (Sandringham Dragons) 3.03
Connor Nutting (Gold Coast Academy) 3.04
Harrison Gunther (Glenorchy) 3.04
Mark Baker (Northern Knights) 3.04

Agility test:

Harrison Gunther (Glenorchy) 8.22 seconds
Callum Porter (Gippsland Power) 8.25
Connor Nutting (Gold Coast Academy) 8.29
Nick Hind (Essendon VFL) 8.36
Dylan Landt (Calder Cannons) 8.37
Noah Answerth (Oakleigh Chargers) 8.38
Nick Hogan (Gippsland Power) 8.48
Alex Boyse (Essendon VFL) 8.52
Mark Baker (Northern Knights) 8.56

Standing vertical jump:

Jy Lane (Murray Bushrangers) 83cm
Alex Boyse (Essendon VFL) 79
Oskar Baker (Aspley) 73
Tom Boyd (Murray Bushrangers) 73
Joel Amartey (Sandringham Dragons) 72
Connor Nutting (Gold Coast Academy) 71
Seb Williams (Sandringham Dragons) 70
Dylan Landt (Calder Cannons) 68
Nick Hogan (Gippsland Power) 68

Running vertical jump:

Jy Lane (Murray Bushrangers) 100cm
Kai Owens (Sandringham Dragons) 93
Joel Amartey (Sandringham Dragons) 90
Connor Nutting (Gold Coast Academy) 88
Cooper Stephens (Geelong Falcons) 87
Dylan Landt (Calder Cannons) 86
Aaron Darling (Dandenong Stingrays) 85
Alex Boyse (Essendon VFL) 84
Nick Hogan (Gippsland Power) 84
Nick Hind (Essendon VFL) 84
Seb Williams (Sandringham Dragons) 84

Yo-Yo test:

Brett Bewley (Williamstown) 22.1 level
Cooper Stephens (Geelong Falcons) 21.4
Seb Williams (Sandringham Dragons) 21.4
Max Dreher (Northern Knights) 21.4
Tom Murphy (Dandenong Stingrays) 21.2
Lewin Davis (Bendigo Pioneers) 21.2
Bayley Fritsch (Casey Demons) 21.2
Callum Porter (Gippsland Power) 21.1
Harrison Gunther (Glenorchy) 21.1