I think a modified PB Guernsey would suit the Suns just fineShoutout to our academy stars and the PBC boys for winning another senior male state championship (AFLQ Schools Cup) last week. The team was led by Will Graham who followed in Jed Walter's footsteps from last year and claimed the grand final best on ground award this year. Both will be on our senior list in a few weeks!
It's great to see Will getting some love after so much attention has been directed at Walter, Read and Rogers this season. They're now saying Graham could attract a bid as high as top 20! Unreal to think we could have four top 20 picks in coming out of our academy in the same draft year. Three of which are from the same junior club which just makes it even more remarkable.
I like the idea but I think the Swans would have something to say about it. Possibly Fremantle too who had a similar design for their heritage jumper back in the day.
Looks like he's cut his hair since last year. Another one I really liked the first time I saw him.It's great to see Will getting some love after so much attention has been directed at Walter, Read and Rogers this season. They're now saying Graham could attract a bid as high as top 20! Unreal to think we could have four top 20 picks in coming out of our academy in the same draft year. Three of which are from the same junior club which just makes it even more remarkable.
While we're on the topic, it's probably also worth noting that the PBC senior female, junior male and junior female teams also claimed their respective state championships last week too. So it was a clean sweep for PBC last week and unsurprisingly another one of our academy stars + current U15 All Australian Jackson Jarvis was voted best on ground in the junior male grand final. Another future star to keep an eye on as he makes the big step into the U16s level next year. Anyone know how tall Jarvis is?
I like the idea but I think the Swans would have something to say about it. Possibly Fremantle too who had a similar design for their heritage jumper back in the day.
Thank goodness. Need to hit up FA
Yeah I reckon you need to get to the point were taking so many kids in the draft should only be the bare minimum, and top up with experience in the trade/FA area.
2025 looks to be another bumper crop...so 2024 is definitely the year to go after those big fish out there.
central.rookieme.com
central.rookieme.com
Brother Jonah Harris is out with the U18 Boys as well - big guy with upside.
The club has been eyeing off Havana Harris for many years. She made the U18 AA team in 2022, 2023 and is expected to do so again in 2024. Her bottom age 2023 season was outstanding and included the MVP award in the U18 National Championships as well as a best on ground performance in Bond Uni's breakthrough QAFLW grand final win. Did I mention analysts consider her to be the best prospect in her draft class and would go number 1 if the AFLW draft was run like the men's? Don't be surprised if she leads Queensland to its first ever U18 National Championship victory next year and helps Bond Uni go back-to-back in the QAFLW. She's going to be a star (if she isn't already) and Varsity College's AFL excellence program will have the bragging rights next year when they produce top 10 picks in both the male and female drafts with Harris and Leo Lombard both considered strong chances to be drafted in the top 10.
That's impressive considering Jonah was playing U15s this year. This seems to be the new model for our academy where we take our elite U16 players like Addinsall, Murray, Z.Uwland this year and blood them into our U18s program so they get exposure to the highest U18s level really early on. You'd assume this model is going to pay dividends in the long run as these juniors adjust to a much higher level of footy early on and are ready to thrive by the time their draft year rolls around. Fortunately for us we seem to have the talent coming through our academy to make this possible whereas I don't think other northern academies would be able to pull it off. Maybe GWS but their best prospects are more likely to relocate and board in Victoria instead.
Some will know but he's well over 182 I'd guess. Very tall and big. Hurt his knee last year but hopefully all better now. You can never have enough big boys.
Seems to be a few of them in that '26 draft class for our academy. Jackson Jarvis is apparently well over 182cm as well and was named in the AA team this year. I think it's important for us to not fall into the trap of drafting academy players just because they are tall. It's one thing to draft an academy player just purely because of a positional need for height like Matthew Conroy, but it's another thing all together to draft a highly talented tall like Ethan Read. It's like comparing Caleb Graham with Darcy Moore. Chalk and cheese.
No but would love some feedback. Would've gone if the club had made any announcement.
Yes I was there. Scrappy and congested - skills down as you’d expect first hit up in that heat
Some familiar names in there making the final cut - Joe Kennedy (son of Maxy), Josh Watters (son of Scott), Kalani White (son of Jeff), Taj Lockett (nephew of Tony) and Zai Millane (nephew of Darren). It would appear that all of those players that not named Kalani White are there for us to draft if they are good enough.SUNS Academy U18M Final Squad Selection
The Gold Coast SUNS Academy is happy to announce the final squad for the U18 males.www.goldcoastfc.com.au
