Academy Northern Academy Talent 2021 - Nominations are in!

[Lore]

Those who have been nominated:

NORTHERN ACADEMY
Gold Coast
Jason Baird
Will Bella
Jed Foggo
Austin Harris
Thomas Hofert
Antonio James
Jack Johnston
Jamie Jones
Brodie Lake
Brinn Little
Max Pescud
Bailey Reeves
Ned Stevens
Jaeden Watts

GWS
Jack Driscoll
Josh Fahey
Sam Frost

8

Sam Frost

Age

30

Ht

194cm

Wt

94kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.4

3star

K

7.1

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.7

4star

T

1.9

4star

MG

191.6

3star

D

10.5

3star

K

6.3

3star

HB

4.3

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

1.5

2star

MG

191.6

3star

D

11.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

5.2

4star

M

3.6

4star

T

1.4

4star

Josh Green
Harrison Grintell
Fraser Kelly
Patrick Voss

Sydney
Angus Anderson
William Edwards
Kye Pfrengle
Liam Puncher
Felix Rogers
Pierce Roseby

How many will Saints get? Every Academy, father-son nomination

Check out who your club has nominated as a father-son or Academy selection

www.afl.com.au

 

[briztoon]

I’ll be genuinely surprised if the Lions ever play a 17 year old in the VFL.

The way our club keeps everything under wraps, I’ll be surprised if they actually ever tell us one of the 18 year olds plays for the reserves team.

 

[GC2015]

Is that actually happening?
In WA its not been unusual for kids to play League footy towards the end of the year & that goes back more than 50 years that I know of e.g Steve Coniglio was 16 in 2010 when he kicked 4 for Swans in the WAFL Grand final.

Can understand the logic based on the physical size of kids.

Yes, it is happening. Here is a list of academy players (and their ages) who played for the Suns reserves in the VFL last week:

Bailey Reeves (19)
James Smith (19)
Tom Hofert (19)
Will Bella (19)
Bodhi Uwland (17)
Jack Johnston (18)

Austin Harris (17) and Ned Stevens (17) would have played as well if not for the NAB Academy game they both competed in last week against the Geelong VFL team. So you're probably looking at 6-10 academy players (25-40% of the team) in the northern AFL reserves teams being chosen to compete in the VFL each week and around half of those academy players being 18 or younger in that particular year. If a gun player like Isaac Heeney or Jack Bowes was coming through the system now then I'm pretty sure they would get the opportunity to play in the VFL in their 17th year (or potentially even their 16th year), as well as playing in the U17 & U19 National Championships for the Allies/their state. Then you add in some NAB Academy/League games as well as local QAFL/Sydney AFL footy and you start to realise academy players in QLD & NSW will now get a wealth of football experience at all levels throughout any given year. This was a necessary step because we don't have a Colts competition that is equivalent to the NAB League and the QAFL/Sydney AFL competitions are a long way behind the WAFL/SANFL in terms of the standard of footy being played. Big difference between lining up on someone like Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and some undersized 'key forward' plumber from Redland.

This means the best academy prospects in QLD and NSW will arguably now have a massive advantage in terms of development because they will be exposed to AFL standard football as young as 15/16 and have multiple years in the VFL under their belt before they get drafted. As good as the WAFL, SANFL and NAB League may be, you can't really compete with the opportunity to play in a 22 team league with 13 other AFL reserves teams. Allowing a 17 year old Austin Harris to play against the Bulldogs reserves two weeks ago and line up opposite the likes of Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, Josh Schache, Mitch Wallis, Lin Jong etc is a fantastic opportunity for him to learn from elite AFL standard players that no other Queensland junior would have had the opportunity to do so in previous years. It's also nice that we (the Suns) have the opportunity to expose NT juniors like Ned Stevens to VFL footy early on through our academy zone access in Darwin. It's a tremendous outcome for the growth of football in QLD/NSW/NT and we've even seen the standalone QLD teams show they are also up to the VFL standard so that's great for Queensland footy as well. You could definitely argue the VFL is now (partially) being used as an equalisation tool.

 

[GC2015]

I’ll be genuinely surprised if the Lions ever play a 17 year old in the VFL.

The way our club keeps everything under wraps, I’ll be surprised if they actually ever tell us one of the 18 year olds plays for the reserves team.

Brisbane Lions VFL Players

Australian Football League. All the latest AFL news, video, results and information

www.afl.com.au

There's always other ways of finding information. The link above indicates Lochlan Harrop is the only 2021 Lions VFL player that was born in 2003 but he turned 18 before the VFL season started so you would be correct in saying a 17 year old will not play for Brisbane's VFL team this year.

 

[GUMBLETRON]

The QAFL clubs get pee’d off because all their best Colts kids are off playing in “meaningless” intra squad academy games, before a squad of the best kids get pulled together to play Gold Coast’s academy, and then the best kids from those two teams get selected for the Allies squad for the National Championships.

When all along, if these kids just played QAFL Colts, reserve’s and league, everyone would know who the best kids are anyway.

But the QAFL only encompasses the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Sunshine Coast, so the rest of the State gets left out.

If there were no academies, we’d have the same set up as SA and WA, but you’d be missing every kid outside the South East corner of the State.

Is the answer then to integrate the academies with QAFL Colts where it does exist, but run additional teams where it doesn't?

 

[briztoon]

Brisbane Lions VFL Players

Australian Football League. All the latest AFL news, video, results and information

www.afl.com.au

There's always other ways of finding information. The link above indicates Lochlan Harrop is the only 2021 Lions VFL player that was born in 2003 but he turned 18 before the VFL season started so you would be correct in saying a 17 year old will not play for Brisbane's VFL team this year.

I meant the club actually tell us anything. We don’t even get a team list for the reserves games, before or after the event, from the club.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

A name I stumbled upon a few years back is Oakley Wallace.

What's his prospects like?

 

[briztoon]

A name I stumbled upon a few years back is Oakley Wallace.

What's his prospects like?

Which club?

 

[GC2015]

A name I stumbled upon a few years back is Oakley Wallace.

What's his prospects like?

Cairns prospect who moved to the Gold Coast this year to be a part of the Suns' academy program full time. He is playing for Labrador in the QAFL competitions this year and has three Colts games as well as a reserves game to his name so far in 2021. He was named in the bests for Labrador's reserves last weekend and has been named to play another reserves game against Maroochydore today. Draft eligible this year but will really have to pick up his game to get drafted if he started the year in the QAFL Colts.

 

[Lore]

Few Northern Academy boys on the National combine invites list;
NSW-ACT
Angus Anderson – Sydney Swans Academy
Josh Fahey – GWS Academy
Harrison Grintell – GWS Academy
Patrick Voss – Oakleigh Chargers/GWS Academy

Northern Territory
Ned Stevens – NT Thunder/Gold Coast Academy

Queensland
Will Bella – Gold Coast Academy
Austin Harris – Gold Coast Academy
Bodhi Uwland – Gold Coast Academy

 

[Colonial]

Few Northern Academy boys on the National combine invites list;
NSW-ACT
Angus Anderson – Sydney Swans Academy
Josh Fahey – GWS Academy
Harrison Grintell – GWS Academy
Patrick Voss – Oakleigh Chargers/GWS Academy

Northern Territory
Ned Stevens – NT Thunder/Gold Coast Academy

Queensland
Will Bella – Gold Coast Academy
Austin Harris – Gold Coast Academy
Bodhi Uwland – Gold Coast Academy

No real superstars as such that would fire up the Victorians but there is a lot of hard working quality there.

 

[Lore]

No real superstars as such that would fire up the Victorians but there is a lot of hard working quality there.

Keeps you guys busy and more vic kids for the rest of us

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Wasn't Sam Stening considered the cream of the GWS academy boys crop of 2021?

 

[PMBangers]

Wasn't Sam Stening considered the cream of the GWS academy boys crop of 2021?

Yes, hasnt progressed

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Yes, hasnt progressed

That's a shame.

 

[Ticky009]

Yes, hasnt progressed

Lack of opportunity for Stening due to COVID or other? Is there a chance they'll pick him up as a rookie?

I'm hoping we'll be picking Angus Anderson, was pleased with what I saw before COVID shut down the VFL, just not certain whether it will be in the draft or in the rookie draft.

 

[Kwality]

Lack of opportunity for Stening due to COVID or other? Is there a chance they'll pick him up as a rookie?

I'm hoping we'll be picking Angus Anderson, was pleased with what I saw before COVID shut down the VFL, just not certain whether it will be in the draft or in the rookie draft.

Did Stening get any opportunity in 2021 ?

 

[Ticky009]

Did Stening get any opportunity in 2021 ?

He was definitely playing

Stening kicks a bag in Osborne's latest victory

Osborne's Sam Stening kicks a senior-high seven goals against Spiders.

www.dailyadvertiser.com.au

 

[PMBangers]

Lack of opportunity for Stening due to COVID or other? Is there a chance they'll pick him up as a rookie?

I'm hoping we'll be picking Angus Anderson, was pleased with what I saw before COVID shut down the VFL, just not certain whether it will be in the draft or in the rookie draft.

Depends on how you look at it, but he just didn't perform in any NAB League or Academy games, and wasn't going to be part of the Allies squad

 

[Ticky009]

Depends on how you look at it, but he just didn't perform in any NAB League or Academy games, and wasn't going to be part of the Allies squad

That's a pity. Will your guys be picking up Fahey or Grintell?

 

[PMBangers]

That's a pity. Will your guys be picking up Fahey or Grintell?

Fahey yes, Grintell maybe but we haven't nominated him so camt match any bids

 

[RUNVS]

Lack of opportunity for Stening due to COVID or other? Is there a chance they'll pick him up as a rookie?

I'm hoping we'll be picking Angus Anderson, was pleased with what I saw before COVID shut down the VFL, just not certain whether it will be in the draft or in the rookie draft.

Anderson does sound like a promising player. Truth is though next year is much stronger for the Swans Academy than this year.

 

[Ticky009]

Anderson does sound like a promising player. Truth is though next year is much stronger for the Swans Academy than this year.

Only touching on this year's RUNVS as per thread title I'd really like more NSW players in our VFL team, and he'd do well there I think as a way to mature.

 

[RUNVS]

Only touching on this year's RUNVS as per thread title I'd really like more NSW players in our VFL team, and he'd do well there I think as a way to mature.

Bedford isn't here Ticky. We are allowed to stray slightly from the central theme of the topic

 

[Ticky009]

Most recent article I can find on the Northern lads

Northern Soul: Who are the 2021 draft prospects from New South Wales?

From the Murray heartland to the city's academies, five players from NSW may feature in November's draft.

www.zerohanger.com

 

[PMBangers]

Anderson does sound like a promising player. Truth is though next year is much stronger for the Swans Academy than this year.

Oh next year you say, well allow me to plug my own work then!

Ones to Watch: 2022 Northern Academy prospects

WITH the likes of Harris Andrews (Brisbane Lions), Jack Bowes (Gold Coast SUNS), Tom Green (GWS GIANTS), and Isaac Heeney (Sydney Swans) among the many great Northern Academy products, there are always prospects of note coming out of each region in an AFL Draft sense. While there may not be as...

central.rookieme.com

You also have Ned Hawkins in 2023 who looks the goods early on