The next class of AFL hopefuls will be putting their best foot forward at the NAB AFL Draft Combine starting Tuesday at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium.

GIANTS Academy members Kieren Briggs and Jacob Koschitzke are among three New South Wales footballers invited to the four-day Combine, along with Swans Academy’s Nick Blakey.

GIANTS Academy coach Jason Saddington said Briggs and Koschitzke – the latter of whom is not eligible for the GIANTS through academy pick bidding after recent zone changes – had both stepped up in a season which saw both represent the Allies at the NAB AFL Under 18 Championships.

“They’re both key position players,” Saddington said.

“Kieren was a ruckman with the Allies this year … and Jacob is a key defender, a tall defender.

“They’re quite athletic for their size and should test well.

“Kieren has been a late-developing 19-year-old out of Western Sydney. He’s always been tall and athletic, but he was just learning more of the footy craft.”

Draft hopefuls will undergo a range of physical testing at the Combine, including kicking assessment, goalkicking assessment, standing vertical jump, running vertical jump, sprints, agility, the two-kilometre time trial and the YoYo test (replacing the beep test).

The GIANTS Academy will have more hopefuls on show at the 2018 NAB AFL State Draft Combine at Marvel Stadium on Friday, with Jeromy Lucas, James Peatling, Guy Richardson, Matthew Walker, Riley Bice and Nick Murray nominated.

“We’re super excited for these boys and what’s ahead for the week and the next month-and-a-half (leading in to the NAB AFL Draft),” Saddington said.

The NAB AFL Women’s Draft Combine will also run on Tuesday and Wednesday, with 36 of the nation’s top young female footballers taking part in Melbourne.

The AFLW Combine sees players undergo a combination of physical and football skills testing, along with interviews with prospective clubs ahead of the NAB AFL Women’s Draft on October 23.

New South Wales footballer Alyce Parker, from Thurgoona, is among 36 invitees to the combine.

Physical assessments involve tests for agility, running vertical leap, standing vertical jump, a 20-metre sprint, a two-kilometre time trial and the relatively recent addition of the YoYo test, which focuses on repeat running efforts.

The physical tests are complemented by skill testing, including kicking drills. Anthropometric measurements are also taken, which relate to the size and strength of the body, including height, weight and arm-span.