A host of potential future GIANTS stars were recently given a first-hand look at the life of an AFL athlete, with the club hosting some of its elite under 17 Academy talent at GIANTS HQ.
Exciting GIANTS Academy prospects Baden Smith, Cooper French, Aiden Henderson, Elijah Roff (ACT), Franklin Murray-Wright (Corowa), Luke Bechaz, Boston Macri (Riverina), Sullivan O’Dwyer, and Brynley Ryan (Western Sydney) spent the day rubbing shoulders with their idols to get a glimpse of the day-to-day routine of life at the elite level.
The unique experience allowed the young stars to sit in on some of the AFL team meetings and walk throughs, watch training, go through a gym session in the club gym, connect with GIANTS players over meals and throughout the day, before finishing with some involvement with the club’s VFL training that night
GIANTS Head of Talent Adrian Caruso said it was great to show the young crop what life at the elite level is like.
“We believe our crop of under 17 talent is promising so we wanted to give them some exposure to the AFL environment early in their 17th year to see what it’s all about,” Caruso said.
“We want to invest in our Academy talent and we feel any chance we can get to give them a taste may hopefully motivate them even further to fully invest and chase their AFL dream.
“The boys stepped into some VFL training as well which was a great chance for them to see the level and train against men.”
GIANTS Head of Academies Jason Saddington echoed Caruso’s sentiment.
“There is a huge amount of potential and upside within this group of young men,” he said.
“The opportunity to bring them into the club for some elite level exposure should help develop and motivate the boys as we prepare for our upcoming Academy season.
“When the opportunity presented, they shelved any school holiday plans to make themselves available. They are keen and hungry to learn which is great to see.
“Whilst not eligible for drafting until 2027, these boys will be a huge influence on our Academy team as we hit our match program. They will be exposed to the highest level of football on a national scale and will be competing regularly against those players who are up for drafting in the 2026 draft.
“We look forward to providing more opportunities for our emerging male and female athletes over the course of the AFL and AFLW season.”
