Academy: Gold Coast SUNS Gun Factory

[CQSUN]

Bit more on Lachie Weller here, at about the 4:25 mark:
http://www.afl.com.au/video/2013-02-15/eyecatchers-ais-afl-academy-new-zealand-tour

 

[fumbler]

My son issue level 3 Suns regional player, there are a few in our area and they're not doing to bad here in the Zac Smith heartland.

 

[Jacob Jackson]

Yes it was Matchu. Sorry for the late reply. Teams were uneven I though. Lachie Weller starred, so did a number of there midfielders, I liked the look of the tall forwards for losing side, looked good even though lacked good supply.

 

[Jacob Jackson]

Suns academy play the lions academy this weekend at Yeronga at 1. Open to public.

 

[TheSunGod]

Some further info on Lachie Weller

Ultimate ambition is to play for the SUNs in between cooking, bike riding and the foreign sport of surfing now that he has experience of warm water.

http://www.broadbeachcats.com.au/playerDetail.php?Weller-118

 

[Hollow Knight]

i think mt gravatt is in the lions den but i'll throw this one up anyway.

a kid called wiley buzza started playing AFL for the first time last season. just 16yo, he played 5 games for the local lockyer valley u16s side but was soon snapped up by the local Darling Downs Crows u18s side that went through undefeated in DIV 2 in 2012. wiley played all games once selected for the crows.

he is 6'5 (but hasnt been measured for 8 months) and was a rep player in RL and 4 other sports including swimming and basketball.

this season saw the DD crows disbanded. wiley has since signed with Mt Gravatt as its the closest club to his home town of Gatton. he still has 2 seasons of u18s in front of him...

his big mop of curly hair betrays the fact that he is a hard young kid in the mould of barry hall. his father was a rep RL player as a senior, and his mother was a state basketballer..his two sisters are state netballers.

already he bench presses more than his father ever could, and at a recent bonding session with the opens side he more than held his own sparring against many of the opens players even when it got willing. his dad being a former boxer did show wiley the basics as a kid, which would have helped.

wiley now loves AFL and should have a stellar year this season.

Like the sounds of him, great name too.

Mt Gravatt is indeed in the Lions zone, as is his previous location of Darling Downs.

 

[Covertackle]

Like the sounds of him, great name too.

Mt Gravatt is indeed in the Lions zone, as is his previous location of Darling Downs.

great to see you have an interest mate.

as Wiley has little experience, the QLD AFL, through the DDAFL, has also given Wiley the opportunity to play school u16 footy as a mature age player. (he turned 17 2 weeks ago) he will play for the western Brisbane zone.

He has been given a great opportunity. The rest is up to him. He is a a big, raw talent that needs the attention that making a lions squad would provide, If he proves he is worthy of making the QLD side,

Its all up to him. Go hard mate! The DDAFL needs a profile player.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Is he pretty much exclusively a ruckman or does he have forward potential?

 

[Covertackle]

Is he pretty much exclusively a ruckman or does he have forward potential?

mate, im an ex RL player. i have no idea. but he is big, strong, and will take absolutely no nonsense. he was a devastating RL tackler like his dad. no sympathy in him. he is really just a kid, but will match it with men...absolutely no worries.

he's been described as having a 'big motor', and one of the first comments i heard from a scout was when he nailed a 50m kick half way up the goal posts in his 2nd game. he is left footed. he needs some AFL brains around him. his dad has none..lol...

 

[Hollow Knight]

Cheers tigernova.

Weller sounds like a find for you guys. Us Queensland teams need to make the most of these academies while we can. Only a matter of time until the Victorian mafia crack the sads about it all.

 

[gcsunsfc]

Some further info on Lachie Weller



http://www.broadbeachcats.com.au/playerDetail.php?Weller-118

I wonder if Lachie Wellers ultimate ambition will remain playing for the suns if we delist his brother..

 

[Ruse]

mate, im an ex RL player. i have no idea. but he is big, strong, and will take absolutely no nonsense. he was a devastating RL tackler like his dad. no sympathy in him. he is really just a kid, but will match it with men...absolutely no worries.

he's been described as having a 'big motor', and one of the first comments i heard from a scout was when he nailed a 50m kick half way up the goal posts in his 2nd game. he is left footed. he needs some AFL brains around him. his dad has none..lol...

Hi Wiley's dad.

 

[Covertackle]

Hi Wiley's dad.

no mate. im about 35kg lighter...and im getting fat! my boy has more talent also....

 

[Sunny_]

Lachie Weller - Northern Conference Round 4 Rising Star.

Unlucky not to win the rising star in round 2 after racking up 30+ disposals and kicking 2 goals for the Suns Reserves, Weller was shocked when he was nominated this week.

“I guess I really don’t know how I feel,” said Weller.

“I know I kicked four goals, but I really didn’t get as much of the footy as I would have liked.”

 

[Dammit]

How old is he? And do we get zone rights to him?

 

[Sunny_]

How old is he? And do we get zone rights to him?

Eligible for the 2014 draft and we can pick him up with rules that mirror the F/S. He's in the Suns Academy, which makes him ours. Just depends on what pick we want to use on him.

 

[Dammit]

Oh okay thanks Sunny. And you reckon he's really decent? Obviously his stats say he is but you reckon he's a goer?
Very early days, I know, but would you see his value at about a first rounder at this stage?

 

[Sunny_]

Oh okay thanks Sunny. And you reckon he's really decent? Obviously his stats say he is but you reckon he's a goer?
Very early days, I know, but would you see his value at about a first rounder at this stage?

At this very very early stage, he's looking like a good prospect. He Captained the AIS Academy level 2s over in NZ this year, so he's obviously got leadership qualities too. Just a really complete midfielder. Capable of both inside and outside work, and even kicking goals.

It's hard to say where he'll go, since I have no knowledge of the other draftees of that age group. I would have thought though, given his representative history for Queensland and the AIS, he'd be late first round or so? But that's taking a wild stab in the dark.

 

[Ethicz]

Interesting to see how he goes at the under 18's carnival this year. The A graders of next years crop usually stand out and hopefully he will as well!

 

[Matchu]

The list of academy players provided in the first post of this thread doesn't work anymore. Does anyone know a working link of where the list can be found? Are any of these guys looking like they may end up with the Suns next year?

Lachie Weller had a good u18 carnival being named in the best for the first few games against SA and Vic. Some of the better players for Queensland this year (Jonathan Freeman and Liam Dawson) are both a part of the Lions academy, unfortunately. Freeman is a key forward and Dawson was the only Queenslander to be named in the All Australian team this year. Looks like the days of the Suns having access to all the best Queensland players are now over. The Gold Coast will have to work on their own catchment areas (northern NSW, the Gold Coast and country Queensland).

 

[Covertackle]

i think mt gravatt is in the lions den but i'll throw this one up anyway.

a kid called wiley buzza started playing AFL for the first time last season. just 16yo, he played 5 games for the local lockyer valley u16s side but was soon snapped up by the local Darling Downs Crows u18s side that went through undefeated in DIV 2 in 2012. wiley played all games once selected for the crows.

he is 6'5 (but hasnt been measured for 8 months) and was a rep player in RL and 4 other sports including swimming and basketball.

this season saw the DD crows disbanded. wiley has since signed with Mt Gravatt as its the closest club to his home town of Gatton. he still has 2 seasons of u18s in front of him...

his big mop of curly hair betrays the fact that he is a hard young kid in the mould of barry hall. his father was a rep RL player as a senior, and his mother was a state basketballer..his two sisters are state netballers.

already he bench presses more than his father ever could, and at a recent bonding session with the opens side he more than held his own sparring against many of the opens players even when it got willing. his dad being a former boxer did show wiley the basics as a kid, which would have helped.

wiley now loves AFL and should have a stellar year this season.

Wylie has just been invited to trial for the Lions academy later this month.

He got B&F for his club Mt Gravatt (u18s) and came second in the Brisbane comp B&F.

Not bad for his second season of AFL. At 195cm and 100kg, Wylie has his 18 birthday, next year....

 

[Sunny_]

Nice one.

May not be the Suns Academy, but good to see the local talent developing.

 

[Sunny_]

Kid called Jack Bowes looks to be progressing nicely. Long way away though.

Link.

 

[Covertackle]

Nice one.

May not be the Suns Academy, but good to see the local talent developing.

thats my sentiments also sunny. the more publicity and encouragement the juniors of SEQLD recieve the better. Its a tough road the AFL has taken in challenging a RL stronghold like ours.

Personally id like to see Wylie play for the SUNS, but i think his choice would be the Lions.

 

[Covertackle]

Hi Sunny. This thread is a great idea. The lions also have a similar thread and they squirrel a lot of info away on that page which is something i think we should do here.

They post things like annual age group lists of academy teams, in all ages including the 'future stars. concept. We havent got one list posted here..

Who are our academy u12s, u14s, u16s, u18s, future stars u12-16?

This thread could be a really good resource to watch out juniors progress like the lions forum have done.

Come on people, Sunny cant be expected to do it all herself.