
Preview | 2023 Coates Talent League – Round 11
FULL-TIME action resumes in the Coates Talent League this weekend, with an allotment of six games splitting Victorian and Allies representative fixtures. We preview all six games, with a look at each region’s form and the players to watch.

Purple Patch: Reid’s rampant nine minutes
RETURNING for his first game in over a month, top AFL Draft prospect Harley Reid was a young man with plenty of eyes on him over the weekend. He skippered Vic Country in their first match of the 2023 Under 18 National Championships, and boy did he make a hot start to proceedings. The highly […]

Next Gen: Under 16 stars to take centre stage
THE 2023 AFL Under 16 National Development Championships are officially underway, with Vic Metro and the Sydney Swans Academy claiming wins in the opening games of Pool A and B respectively. It means the next generation of footballing talent is emerging, no less through the Northern Academies. With a lucky and extremely promising few players […]

Scouting Notes: 2023 AFL U16s – Giants Academy vs. Swans Academy
THE SYDNEY Swans Academy kicked off the Pool B portion of this year’s Under 16 National Championships with a 24-point win over local rival, the GWS Giants Academy. A five-goal third term set up the Swans’ victory at Blacktown International Sportspark, in what was otherwise a competitive hitout. GIANTS ACADEMY 1.2 | 5.4 | 6.5 […]

South Australian stars shine in Country cull
AFTER two underwhelming performances to start the 2023 AFL Under 18s Championships, South Australia came to play, storming to a 19-point victory over Vic Country at Ikon Park today. After Vic Country kicked the first four goals of the match – three to number one pick Harley Reid – South Australia kicked eight of the […]

Marquee Matchups: Ethan Read vs. Mitchell Edwards
THE BEST of the best do battle during the Under 18 National Championships each year, and it just so happens that arguably 2023’s top two ruck prospects recently locked horns in the competition. West Australian Mitchell Edwards and Gold Coast Suns Academy product Ethan Read went head-to-head on Sunday as the latter’s Allies side picked […]

Gun Tassie mids pose draft query
THE ENTRANCE of a Tasmanian team to the AFL by 2027 is set to impact the draft and recruiting space to no end in the coming years, perhaps even as soon as this year. Adding an extra layer of intrigue is the emergence of strong native prospects, who can potentially now represent their state at […]

2023 Vic Country Under 18 squad announced
VIC COUNTRY has today announced its 31-player squad to take part in the 2023 AFL Under 18 National Championships. The Victorian outfit is set to open its campaign on Sunday morning with a clash against South Australia at IKON Park. >> SCROLL to see the full squad Dandenong Stingrays has the largest contingency of all six […]

Scouting Notes: 2023 Talent League – Round 10
THE SOLE Coates Talent League fixture over the King’s Birthday long weekend saw Sandringham Dragons defeat local rival, Oakleigh by 10 points at RSEA Park. The lead changed hands at each break, but it was the home side which snuck ahead when it counted to win 10.14 (74) to 9.10 (64). Both sides were missing […]

Metro forwards feast in big win over SA
THERE might be a foot between them in stature, but both Jordan Croft and Nick Watson had a hand in putting away South Australia by 68 points to open Vic Metro’s AFL Under 18 Championships campaign. In a one-sided contest at Thebarton Oval, the visitors overcame some early South Australian resistance to run away victors, […]