This year’s NAB AFL Draft Combine has wrapped up at Etihad Stadium. Last week 120 young AFL prospects were tested in their skills, athleticism and attitude.
The best young talent in Australia spent four days at Etihad Stadium, being put through their paces as the eighteen AFL clubs decide who they will select in the 2011 NAB AFL Draft.
With nine of the first fifteen picks, the GWS GIANTS played a massive role in the combine assessments in the hope of securing more AFL young guns to add to our expanding list.
GIANTS head coach Kevin Sheedy kept a watchful eye on proceedings at the combine and was thrilled with the level of young talent that has nominated for this year’s draft.
“The three players that we are going to pick first are all terrific young players.
“We’ll have a spread of players but we really need to get a goal to goal line. I would think that we would be looking for some tall players.
“At the end of the day, who goes at pick one, two and three isn’t that important when you have the first three. The GIANTS have been given a great opportunity to build the game up here.”
GIANTS list manager Stephen Silvagni was also excited about the challenge that lays ahead for the recruiters leading in to the most important AFL draft that the young club will ever face. Silvagni also praised the professionalism of this year’s draft combine and the new surface at Etihad Stadium.
“It’s been a long week for the players and for the clubs but it’s been great. We had some very positive meetings with a number of players, they really are an impressive group of young men.
“We’ve been given a huge opportunity through the list and draft concessions that the AFL has put in place, but as a club we have a responsibility to do as much research as we can into these young players to ensure we get the most out of those selections.
“Some of the results have been quite impressive when look at what the top performers were able to deliver, Bradley Hill actually piped Jarrod McVeigh’s beep test record that has stood strong since 2002 with a 16.1.”
AFL National talent manager Kevin Sheehan was also excited about the caliber of talent on display at this year’s combine.
“It’s been a brilliant four days and all of the clubs are pretty happy with the quality of young men that have been here this week.
“They’re far fitter, they’re a wonderfully sized group, their average height is about 188cm so they’re big as well.
“We’re all now full of optimism for the draft on November 24 up in Sydney.”
Click here to watch the day two video highlights from the NAB AFL Draft
