Luke Partington: Resilience through adversity
Ordinarily, for a young, aspiring league footballer, a year in which you have been selected as one of the best underage players in the country would be one to celebrate. January saw Luke Partington travel to the US as part of the NAB AFL Academy, for a 10-day training camp, alongside other draft hopefuls and […]
The curious case of Charlie Curnow
Charlie Curnow is going to cause some serious headaches for recruiters come draft day. The 191 centimetre forward/midfielder missed the entirety of the Under 18s National Championships with a knee problem, but has returned to the TAC Cup in solid form. Curnow is a strong chance to bolt into the top five, according to several of […]
Ben McKay: The best draft story of the year
A few months ago, Gippsland forward Harry McKay seemed to bolt from nowhere. The 200 cm forward has remarkable agility, and he impressed with his skill for a big man. Harry is predicted to be a top 15 pick, but it is his brother Ben who has one of the best draft stories from the […]
Josh Glenn: An interesting path
When Gold Coast called out Josh Glenn with selection seven in last year’s rookie draft, to most he was just another name and one of many mature age players drafted to the AFL. But the path Glenn took to get to there is very different. In his junior season, he fell out with the Central […]
New Pioneers set to entertain
Bendigo Pioneers are set to be a harder running and more entertaining team this year if new coach Brett Henderson has anything to say about it. The new Pioneers Under 18s coach has taken over the role from David Newett after the latter had three years in the role. Henderson’s coaching resume includes a premiership […]
Caleb Daniel, a young man with a big future
The final two games of the recent under-18 championships saw a young man in the number one guernsey for South Australia impress a lot of good judges, attracting an impressive amount of the football for the carnival-winning Croweaters. Caleb Daniel certainly garnered a lot of attention with both his lack of size and helmeted […]
Vickers-Willis is any club’s dream
Ed Vickers-Willis. By the end of the year, he might only be the fourth or fifth-highest rated midfielder at the Sandringham Dragons, but that speaks volumes about their depth. Angus Brayshaw is the “second best player, besides Josh Kelly” whom Vickers-Willis has ever played with. Josh Clayton might be off to Brisbane at the end […]
Tate Marsh: The next Dale Thomas
Photo: Kate from Gippsland Power In 2005, Gippsland Power listed a skinny, shaggy-haired midfielder by the name of Dale Thomas. Almost 10 years on, Power’s talent manager Peter Francis is dumbfounded by the striking comparisons between the now AFL star, and a young lad from Traralgon, by the name of Tate Marsh. “By gee, they’ve […]
Matt Boag: The unknown one
As the Geelong Falcons bowed out in the finals after a shock loss to Eastern Ranges, the side that had been dominant all year was forced to reflect on what went wrong. One man who sat on the sidelines after missing the finals was midfielder/forward Matthew Boag. Chances are, most people who have been following […]
Matt Merlo: The consistent leader
Calder’s Matt Merlo is your uncompromising inside midfielder who is able to do his job every week and compliment the rest of the midfield. He captained the club to a preliminary final and was 20 minutes away from booking a place on the ground for the TAC Cup Grand Final. It wasn’t to be, but […]
