Richardson, Graham gain ground in preseason
BILLY Richardson and Will Graham were two of six Queenslanders to have run out on AFL Grand Final day in last year’s Under 17 Futures match, and are now primed to make a splash as top-agers. The Sunshine State products, of the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns academies respectively, have had different paths to […]
2023 Preseason Testing Top 5s – Swans Academy
THE SWANS Academy convened in Sydney this month to partake in their annual preseason testing event, under the eye of Rookie Me. Under 18 talent from both the boys and girls squads underwent a range of physical tests; from vertical jumps, to sprints and endurance running. >> SCROLL for all top five results Explosive over-ager Bililign Robertson […]
Bertuna bounces back to set lofty goals
SOUTHERN Saint Melanie Bertuna has loved the game of Aussie rules football for a long time, but had a few familial hurdles to overcome to even start playing the sport at all. As she recounts, Bertuna signed up to play football with her dad, but was met with a stumbling block when her mother found […]
2023 Preseason Testing Top 10s – GWS Giants Academy
THE GWS Giants Academy convened in Canberra this month to partake in their annual preseason testing event, under the eye of Rookie Me. Under 18 talent from both the boys and girls squads underwent a range of physical tests; from vertical jumps, to sprints and endurance running. >> SCROLL for all top 10 results Over-ager […]
Read, Rogers ready to light up the Gold Coast sky
THE GOLD Coast Suns Academy boasts some prime AFL Draft talent in 2023, headlined by a trio of National Academy inductees. Among them are nippy midfielder-forward Jake Rogers and mobile ruckman Ethan Read, both of whom sat down with Rookie Me Central for a Q&A at the recent Queensland preseason testing event. >> Squad: 2023 […]
Former Hawk finds true Saintly home
FORMER Hawk turned Southern Saint Nicole Cormack is certainly making up for lost time, and has her sights set on going even further with her footy career and getting to the AFLW. Her love of footy originally started at school, but she had to wait a while to be able to play the sport […]
Swans Academy guns ready to fire in 2023
THE 2023 season is fast approaching for budding AFL Draft prospects around the nation, including a couple of national academy members tied to the Sydney Swans. Powerful pair Lachlan Cabor and Caiden Cleary are raring to go ahead of their respective top-age campaigns, throughout which they are set to wax with one another quite often. […]
Docker Staunton “just lucky” for GIANT opportunity
BOLTING out of relative obscurity into the AFL Women’s Academy, GWS GIANTS Academy member Melanie Staunton is one name to keep an eye on in 2023. Though she describes her rise from Ulladulla Dockers talent to AFLW Academy as “just lucky”, the 18-year-old is certainly not taking her incredible opportunity lightly. Tasting life as an […]
Love for Swans sees Turner Funk return
OVERAGE AFL Women’s draft hopeful Asha Turner Funk has her sights set on obtaining an elite level list spot in the future, but is hoping to make the most of a second chance at the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships. The 167cm midfielder turns 19 in April, and was among the players to earn an […]
Suckling makes GIANT move to the border
REALISING her footballing potential early on in her journey, Murray Bushrangers AFL Women’s draft hopeful Emma Suckling chose to switch from her local competition in Wagga Wagga to the border. There, she teamed up with the strong Lavington Panthers outfit while sharing her time with the Bushrangers in the NAB League and developing through the […]
