Draft Gems: The best of the low 30s
IT HAS been a little more than 30 years since the then-VFL held its first national draft. While footy fans are well-versed in the feted number-one pick since Martin Leslie became the first back in the inaugural 1986 draft, the chances of picking an out and out champion the later the pick, are indeed lessened.Given […]
Haua making waves in the sunshine state
LAST year a dreadlocked Geelong star turned heads with a stunning seven-goal performance in the TAC Cup Grand Final, but five months earlier, a little known Queenslander recorded a baker’s dozen in central Queensland. It was April 22, 2017, and 16 year-old Kane Haua walked off the ground having snagged 12 majors for his side […]
Lion cubs ready to roar in 2018
QUEENSLAND’S top young talent is continuing to grow, with 2018 promising to be another busy year for the Brisbane Lions Academy. The Lions have a number of talented prospects they will develop and showcase across the season. Lions Academy manager Luke Curran was kind enough to give AFL Draft Central his time in discussing what […]
Fantastic Five: Memorable moments from the weekend
THERE was no TAC Cup or TAC Cup Girls football on the weekend, but the AFLW and JLT Community Series played out their penultimate and final rounds respectively. Here are five moments which made the weekend memorable. Jack Watts’ six goals against Adelaide There are few players in the AFL who have come under as […]
Determination pays off for Ballard
EVERY draftee has taken their own unique pathway to the big time. Some, like last year’s number one pick Cam Rayner, are touted as high-end selections years in advance. Others, like Giants recruit Aiden Bonar, re-emerge after stints on the sidelines with injury. And some, due to a wide variety of reasons, drop out of […]
All-Time Best 22: Bendigo Pioneers
IN a new feature series throughout the year, AFL Draft Central’s Brandon Hutchinson will look at a possible best 22 from each TAC Cup club. Starting with the Bendigo Pioneers and working through each of the 12 clubs, the series is likely to cause plenty of debate as to who should or should not make […]
Toohey enjoys fresh Eastern challenge
ON a scorching afternoon in Beaconsfield, new talent manager Sean Toohey — a former homicide squad detective and Sergeant with Victoria Police — witnessed his first game as part of the Eastern Ranges TAC Cup program; a win for the girls’ squad in the first round of the season against the Greater Western Victoria Rebels. The vibe around the ground, […]
Confidence the key to girls’ success
“IF we coach young female footballers the way we coach boys then we will lose them to the game.” This is how Nathan Burke, high performance coach, and writer from SEN’s Inside Football magazine, portrays coaching girls. Scott Armour, new coach of the Gippsland Power TAC Cup Girls team, agrees wholeheartedly with Nathan Burke’s sentiments. […]
Progression leads to performance
FOR eight years Natalie Grindal has seen the transformation of girls footy, going from a 30-player state academy team that would train together; to now a clear pathway for girls to play footy at the highest level at AFLW. Grindal highlighted the importance of the AFLW, and how it has given young girls something to […]
Biology not the only factor in early season ACLs
WHEN Western Bulldogs young gun Isabel Huntington fell to the ground clutching her knee in pain, the AFLW community held its collective breath. The 18 year-old was just two games into her AFLW career, fighting back from an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury which kept her out of her top-age draft year. Within 24 hours, […]
