GIANTS Academy boys coach Tadhg Kennelly says he’s excited about what the talent in this year’s under 16 cohort can produce in the near future following a brilliant 2026 campaign. 

Led by the likes of impressive youngsters Alex Maher, James Rice, and Sam Brown, all of whom were recently named in the under 16 All-Australian side, the GIANTS capped off a strong campaign by taking out Pool B in the 2006 AFL Marsh AFL National Development Championships on the Gold Coast recently.  

The GIANTS’ championship win came after winning all three of their games which saw them beat the Swans Academy by 21 points, defeat Tasmania by 43, followed by a 15-point win over the Gold Coast Suns Academy to claim the title. 

“It’s a very exciting group where we have a lot of talent and we are very excited about what this group will be able to produce over the next 18 to 24 months,” Kennelly said. 

“The Championship win follows on from our GIANTS Academy under 16 girls taking out the Pool B title back in April for a clean sweep of under 16 National titles.” 

While the under 16 boys side consists of an exciting spread of young talent, Kennelly noted the performances of Maher, Rice and Brown in particular, following their All-Australian campaigns.  

Maher, a midfielder hailing from Canberra, was judged best-on-ground in two of the three wins in a stellar Championship series.  

“Alex was awarded the GIANTS MVP [voted on by coaching staff], “Kennelly said.  

“He’s a player in the mould of [former Collingwood star] Dane Swan. 

“Alex had a wonderful carnival, he finds lots of the footy, has incredible footy smarts and exceptional football fundamentals. He kicks left and right and always has plenty of time on the ball. As a 16-year-old he also played in the 18’s Talent League.” 

Another midfielder from Canberra, Rice was named the MVP (Alan McLean Medal) for the entire Pool B following a starring series.  

“James is tough as nail and a strong contested player who also finds the ball on the outside and uses it really well.  

“He also hits the score board as a mid and he’s another 16-year-old who played in the 18’s Talent league this year.” 

“Sam Brown was another standout,” Kennelly added. 

“He’s an outstanding defender who reads the ball well, intercepts well and defends strongly one on one. He also uses the ball really well. He was exceptional down back for us all carnival.” 

Kennelly also heaped praise on young forward duo Bodhi Charlton and Noah Golds. 

“Bodhi kicked five goals against the Swans and Noah kicked four against Tasmania -  they were both strong up forward.  

“While we struggled in front of goal for our accuracy throughout the carnival, those two boys provided lots of highlights for us and hit the scoreboard.” 

POOL B RESULTS 

GIANTS Academy 10.16 (76) def Sydney Swans Academy 8.7 (55) 

GIANTS Academy 

Best: James Rice, Bodhi Charlton, Alex Maher, Charlie Bain, Hayden Gardiner, Ryder Murray 

Goals: Bodhi Charlton 5, Hugh Crockett, Tyson Green 2, Noah Golds 

Sydney Swans Academy 

Best: Patrick McMahon, Owen Fitzpatrick, Cooper Willis, Oliver Sheridan, Lincoln Blanch, Zane Guthrie 

Goals: Brock Lampret 3, Oto Ryan, Tom Theobald, Ioanni Titmuss, Owen Trickey, Oliver Turner 

Details: Saturday 27 June at Corroboree Group Oval 

GIANTS Academy 13.9 (87) def Tasmania 6.8 (44) 

GIANTS Academy 

Best: Alex Maher, Samuel Brown, James Rice, Hayden Gardiner, Noah Golds, Riley Thompson 

Goals: Noah Golds 4, Riley Thompson 3, Bodhi Charlton, Hugh Crockett 2, Hayden Gardiner 

Tasmania 

Best: Harvey Alomes, Luca Latter, Jaxan Berwick, George Ribbon, Lennox Hazell, Benjamin Atkin 

Goals: Harvey Alomes 2, William Tismar, Jacob Wass, Prince Williams 

Details: Monday 13 July at People First Stadium 

Gold Coast Suns Academy 9.3 (57) def by GIANTS Academy 10.12 (72) 

Gold Coast Suns Academy 

Best: Hunter Weatherley, Fletcher Vincent, Jacob Moir, Ashton Gardner, Hugo McBride, Paddy Fitzgibbon 

Goals: Jacob Moir 3, Ollie Clark, Harry Cloke, Kai Hawker, Kobe Mundy, Lachlan Robinson, Levi Thompson 

GIANTS Academy 

Best: Alex Maher, James Rice, Darcy Borghouts, Ryder Murray, Harry McDonald, Samuel Brown 

Goals: Hugh Crockett, Sam Douglas 2, Bodhi Charlton, Matthew Davies, Hayden Gardiner, Noah Golds, Alex Maher, George Morton 

Details: Thursday 16 July at Fankhauser Reserve