Academy: Gold Coast SUNS Gun Factory

[SUN OF A GUN]

Brisbane also had Ben Keays come through their academy and he was highly rated as a junior (two-time U18 AA) despite being bid on with pick 24. I believe Conor McFadyen was also highly rated as a junior and was another second round pick that came through their academy. I should also point out that Blake Coleman is actually considered a first round pick due to the high level of NGA & first round compensation picks in the 2020 draft, meanwhile Keidean Coleman was a second round pick. So Brisbane have had two first round picks in Hipwood and B.Coleman, five second round picks in Keays, McFadyen, K.Coleman, Cumberland and Martyn as well as a few late pick gems like Andrews.

We didn't have access to Weller so I don't consider that an indication of the strength of our academy. What use is a player in our academy if we can't actually draft them? Josh Fahey also played for our academy team but I don't consider him ours, especially considering GWS just academy drafted him. Bailey Scott is one you could lay claim to because we had access to him but even he was pick 49 overall so that's nothing to rave about. I know analysts had suggested Davies was potentially a top 10 pick early last year but he was injured for most of the 2020 season and I think that would have seen him slip outside of the top 10 if he was available on the open market (potentially even into the second round). Jack Bowes is the only true first round pick that's come through our academy in my mind because Joel Jeffrey really had very little to do with our academy and he was also not guaranteed to be taken with a first round pick on the open market.

Although we've had the only true top 10 pick come out of a Queensland academy, I don't think it's a stretch to say Brisbane's academy is outperforming ours in terms of talent coming through and they are definitely streets ahead in how they develop those academy players once they've been drafted. Yes we have a challenging situation with the smallest population spread amongst the most amount of land but this is an area we absolutely HAVE TO improve in. We can't be so reliant on drafting talents from interstate who inevitably end up leaving.

I imagine that all of the above, and more, is the reason for the review and subsequent clean out, of Academy coaches and staff for 2022.
The difference professionalism between the Suns and Lions Academies over the last few years has been glaringly obvious. However, the results from Academy games v the Lions over the last few years are mostly in the favour of the GC.
Hoping to see some strong results from the new Academy coaching staff, that is supposedly highly credentialed in developing young talent.

 

[The Kings Ransom]

I imagine that all of the above, and more, is the reason for the review and subsequent clean out, of Academy coaches and staff for 2022.
The difference professionalism between the Suns and Lions Academies over the last few years has been glaringly obvious. However, the results from Academy games v the Lions over the last few years are mostly in the favour of the GC.
Hoping to see some strong results from the new Academy coaching staff, that is supposedly highly credentialed in developing young talent.

Producing players is one thing.
Running the academy appropriate is another.

 

[briztoon]

GWS were stripped of the Riverina from their academy back in 2017. Those kids have to go through the NAB league now. Though they can play for NSW and the Allies come National Championship


Gees sounds like you’re talking about the Lions academy.

Ours is anything but professionally run. I’ve heard any success out of our academy, is achieved despite the academy, not due to the academy.

It’s well known that the Aspley coaches begged multiple times for the Lions to look at a 16/17 year old Harris Andrews

31

Harris Andrews

Age

27

Ht

202cm

Wt

98kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

12.8

3star

K

7.4

3star

HB

5.4

4star

M

5.6

5star

T

1.6

4star

MG

151.7

2star

D

17.0

4star

K

9.0

4star

HB

8.0

4star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.0

3star

D

9.8

3star

K

5.0

2star

HB

4.8

4star

M

3.4

4star

T

1.6

4star

MG

94.0

2star

. He only spent his top age year in our academy.

Our game day coaching is abysmal. Your teams run rings around our teams.

We should have a strong team next year, at least the top half a dozen talents. Let’s wait and see if our coaching has improved.

 

[Carraracannon]

Isn't Jed Foggo from the Northern Rivers? My understanding is he was one of our better academy prospects this year. I believe Jared Ellis (Lismore) and Jesse Joyce (Tweed Heads) are the only players we've drafted out of the Northern Rivers region to date.

I take your point that the Northern Rivers doesn't have a lot of Aussie rules history and is generally considered more of a rugby league heartland area but I wouldn't give up on that area just yet. A lot of southerners are moving north to south east Queensland AND north east NSW so we should have many more football prospects coming through the region over the next decade.


I don't want to sound harsh here but I think it's fair to say our academy is performing the worst of the four northern academies when you compare the quality of the best players each academy is producing. Brisbane have a multi time AA key defender in Harris Andrews and one of the better key forwards in the league in Eric Hipwood, Sydney have top 10 picks Isaac Heeney, Callum Mills, Nick Blakey and Braeden Campbell who are all guns and GWS have some gun academy graduates as well like Jacob Hopper, Harry Himmelberg, Harry Perryman and Tom Green, not to mention guns from their academy at other clubs like Jack Steele and Zac Williams. The AFL would be aware of this and it probably explains their decision to hand us the Darwin zone a few years ago but there's more to it than just getting an extra zone added into your academy. Perhaps they feel the academy coaching needs to improve?

I love Bowesy and Budders but they really aren't comparable to players like Harris Andrews, Isaac Heeney or Jacob Hopper (not yet anyway).

Up
D

Brisbane also had Ben Keays come through their academy and he was highly rated as a junior (two-time U18 AA) despite being bid on with pick 24. I believe Conor McFadyen was also highly rated as a junior and was another second round pick that came through their academy. I should also point out that Blake Coleman is actually considered a first round pick due to the high level of NGA & first round compensation picks in the 2020 draft, meanwhile Keidean Coleman was a second round pick. So Brisbane have had two first round picks in Hipwood and B.Coleman, five second round picks in Keays, McFadyen, K.Coleman, Cumberland and Martyn as well as a few late pick gems like Andrews.

We didn't have access to Weller so I don't consider that an indication of the strength of our academy. What use is a player in our academy if we can't actually draft them? Josh Fahey also played for our academy team but I don't consider him ours, especially considering GWS just academy drafted him. Bailey Scott is one you could lay claim to because we had access to him but even he was pick 49 overall so that's nothing to rave about. I know analysts had suggested Davies was potentially a top 10 pick early last year but he was injured for most of the 2020 season and I think that would have seen him slip outside of the top 10 if he was available on the open market (potentially even into the second round). Jack Bowes is the only true first round pick that's come through our academy in my mind because Joel Jeffrey really had very little to do with our academy and he was also not guaranteed to be taken with a first round pick on the open market.

Although we've had the only true top 10 pick come out of a Queensland academy, I don't think it's a stretch to say Brisbane's academy is outperforming ours in terms of talent coming through and they are definitely streets ahead in how they develop those academy players once they've been drafted. Yes we have a challenging situation with the smallest population spread amongst the most amount of land but this is an area we absolutely HAVE TO improve in. We can't be so reliant on drafting talents from interstate who inevitably end up leaving.

disagree with some of this , we had a couple of our previous zone players do well in the Sanfl this year , one played in a premiership and the other won a rising star nomination, a couple otherex academy kids won a premiership with Broadie,

The talent is there but everyone knows in the final year we overlook the second or third best for the clickbait or left field option , I know this frustrates some of the coaches. Are we told to do this to grow the game I don't know , it's just a very bad time to be a gold coast academy kid as they now have to compete with NT kids for a spot.

Also if we are going to pick only the best academy kids should we also be picking the Murtaghs, Conroy's ,Ace and the Nicholls as it probably rubs salt into those more talented kids who missed out. Brisbane seems to have a more defined approach where you have to reach a certain standard or you don't get drafted

Only one Qld kid got picked in the draft this year , we are definitely not getting the most out of our talent base. Bella was the best key academy player I have seen , far better than Graham

 

[The Kings Ransom]

Up
D
disagree with some of this , we had a couple of our previous zone players do well in the Sanfl this year , one played in a premiership and the other won a rising star nomination, a couple otherex academy kids won a premiership with Broadie,

The talent is there but everyone knows in the final year we overlook the second or third best for the clickbait or left field option , I know this frustrates some of the coaches. Are we told to do this to grow the game I don't know , it's just a very bad time to be a gold coast academy kid as they now have to compete with NT kids for a spot.

Also if we are going to pick only the best academy kids should we also be picking the Murtaghs, Conroy's ,Ace and the Nicholls as it probably rubs salt into those more talented kids who missed out. Brisbane seems to have a more defined approach where you have to reach a certain standard or you don't get drafted

Only one Qld kid got picked in the draft this year , we are definitely not getting the most out of our talent base. Bella was the best key academy player I have seen , far better than Graham

Why didn't we take Bella if we are just after the good story clickbait player?
Th best 'grow the game' story you've ever heard.

 

[Supersuns]

Picking Bella would of been stupid, he hasn't shown barely any AFL qualities, not overly quick, he is a standard man child that is more developed than other kids his age. Let him play some constant VFL football against people as big and strong as him to see if he has it.

 

[Carraracannon]

Picking Bella would of been stupid, he hasn't shown barely any AFL qualities, not overly quick, he is a standard man child that is more developed than other kids his age. Let him play some constant VFL football against people as big and strong as him to see if he has it.

Check the VFL stats he performed better than Murtagh and is 3 years younger , what possible reason could you justify keeping the latter, same with Nicholls over Fyfe everyone at club level can't believe that decision.The club needs to be honest on what factors go into the final selection as kids are putting their careers on the line , remember they have to be part of an academy to play for Qld

 

[Supersuns]

Check the VFL stats he performed better than Murtagh and is 3 years younger , what possible reason could you justify keeping the latter, same with Nicholls over Fyfe everyone at club level can't believe that decision.The club needs to be honest on what factors go into the final selection as kids are putting their careers on the line , remember they have to be part of an academy to play for Qld

Murtagh shouldn't be on the list either but I don't see it in Bella, he is a man child who didn't dominate against kids his age, doesn't bode well.

 

[The Kings Ransom]

Check the VFL stats he performed better than Murtagh and is 3 years younger , what possible reason could you justify keeping the latter, same with Nicholls over Fyfe everyone at club level can't believe that decision.The club needs to be honest on what factors go into the final selection as kids are putting their careers on the line , remember they have to be part of an academy to play for Qld

Why do you think they kept Nicholls over Fyfe?
That never made any sense to me.

 

[Jen2310]

2022 NAB AFL Academy

Jed Walter, Queensland/Palm Beach Currumbin/Gold Coast Suns Academy
Anthony Munkara, Northern Territory/Wanderers/NT Thunder

Family ties, familiar names feature in 2022 Academy squad

Potential No.1 pick Will Ashcroft headlines the young talent named in the 2022 NAB AFL Academy squad

www.afl.com.au

 

[Sun Stormer]

2022 NAB AFL Academy

Jed Walter, Queensland/Palm Beach Currumbin/Gold Coast Suns Academy
Anthony Munkara, Northern Territory/Wanderers/NT Thunder

Family ties, familiar names feature in 2022 Academy squad

Potential No.1 pick Will Ashcroft headlines the young talent named in the 2022 NAB AFL Academy squad

www.afl.com.au

Nice to be right sometimes...Jed Walter in the AFL Academy! This kid is huge already and will make it. His Dad lives in WA so hopefully he stays here with Mum!

 

[Jirik13]

Nice to be right sometimes...Jed Walter in the AFL Academy! This kid is huge already and will make it. His Dad lives in WA so hopefully he stays here with Mum!

Junior Male Academy Player of the Year - Jed Walter - Sept 2019. Wondering how big is he now?

 

[Jen2310]

Junior Male Academy Player of the Year - Jed Walter - Sept 2019. Wondering how big is he now?
View attachment 1294848

I can't find any real information about him, is he a key forward? I'm assuming so.

 

[Sun Stormer]

I can't find any real information about him, is he a key forward? I'm assuming so.

Yeah - he's a key forward and definitely one to watch. Still young as well...not sure when he'll be eligible for draft. 2005 birth year I think.

 

[SUN OF A GUN]

I can't find any real information about him, is he a key forward? I'm assuming so.

Jed would be around 195cm and 95kg + now. Big body for his age.

In the mold of Will Bella but much more mobile at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

 

[Jen2310]

Yeah - he's a key forward and definitely one to watch. Still young as well...not sure when he'll be eligible for draft. 2005 birth year I think.

Yeah, looks that way, so 2023 draft.

 

[sunsofanarchy]

Jed would be around 195cm and 95kg + now. Big body for his age.

In the mold of Will Bella but much more mobile at this point.


Sent from my iPhone using BigFooty.com

How's his hands?

 

[Jirik13]

Yeah, looks that way, so 2023 draft.

I assumed players named in 2022 NAB AFL academy should be draft eligible in 2022?

Obviously not, just found out Jed's birthdate - 08/06/05.

Another forward/ruck player to keep an eye on is Ethan Read - born 07/07/05. He was skinny, but I was impressed by him in the academy game vs Lions.

 

[Jen2310]

I assumed players named in 2022 NAB AFL academy should be draft eligible in 2022?

It seems there are some bottom agers in the AFL academy. It happens sometimes.

Here is the split group between top agers (2022 draft) and bottom agers (2023 draft)

Three NT products have been named in the 2022 NAB AFL and AFLW Academies

Kyanne Campbell of the Cent

www.aflnt.com.au

 

[Sun Stormer]

How's his hands?

Very, very good! He's my tip of all the Academy kids to make it. Will Graham another possibillity in that same draft year. Will got an award at this year's Academy Awards - not sure which one.

 

[Jirik13]

Very, very good! He's my tip of all the Academy kids to make it. Will Graham another possibillity in that same draft year. Will got an award at this year's Academy Awards - not sure which one.

What do you think about Ethan Read?

 

[sunsofanarchy]

Very, very good! He's my tip of all the Academy kids to make it. Will Graham another possibillity in that same draft year. Will got an award at this year's Academy Awards - not sure which one.

Sounds promising, one to watch

 

[Sun Stormer]

What do you think about Ethan Read?

Ethan Reid looks to be another one - I think he's a year further behind but already around 196cms. Keeping my eye on him. Obviously needs to start filling out but he's a keeper!

 

[Sun Stormer]

It seems there are some bottom agers in the AFL academy. It happens sometimes.

Here is the split group between top agers (2022 draft) and bottom agers (2023 draft)

Three NT products have been named in the 2022 NAB AFL and AFLW Academies

Kyanne Campbell of the Cent

www.aflnt.com.au

There's at least 12 - 15 boys training with the U18s who may drop back to play U17s in 2022. Some are good enough to keep their spots eg Jed Walter, Will Graham and others. Looks like a solid team will emerge and those dropping down will bolster the U17/16 guys. All good.

 

[Sun Stormer]

There's at least 12 - 15 boys training with the U18s who may drop back to play U17s in 2022. Some are good enough to keep their spots eg Jed Walter, Will Graham and others. Looks like a solid team will emerge and those dropping down will bolster the U17/16 guys. All good.

Just realised you're talking about the AFL Academy and not Suns - apologies.