Lawrence to give draft “one more go” in new-look role
AFTER being overlooked at the end of his top-age campaign last year, Giants Academy product Luke Lawrence is preparing to give the AFL Draft “one more go” in 2023. The 18-year-old comes with a plan and expects to put his name forward for draft contention thanks to a revised role, devised by academy coach Tadhg […]
Daring De Angelis still searching for more
SOUTHERN Saints goalsneak Gabriella De Angelis has always loved Aussie rules football. “I fell in love with footy when I was very, very young,” she said. “I grew up in a very strong and vocal Collingwood supporting household, so I didn’t really have a choice over which team I went for, but my mum […]
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 […]
