AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) is pleased to be hosting an AFL Combine Testing session for the Men’s Under 18 NT Thunder Academy players this weekend at Marrara Indoor Stadium.
As part of the Under 18 NT Thunder Academy Camp being held on Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 April players based interstate for school, as well as in Katherine and Alice Springs will join the Darwin contingent to show their physical prowess ahead of their 2018 national campaign.
In line with the AFL National Combine Testing each member of the Academy will be tested in agility, vertical jumps, 20-metre sprint and the yoyo test.
AFLNT Manager of Talent and Pathways, Wally Gallio, said the program in the Northern Territory is aligned with what the rest of the country is doing.
NT Thunder Academy has their first game on Saturday 14 April against Greater Western Sydney Academy (GWS) in Blacktown, NSW.
“The testing is part of the National Academy curriculum that all players are put through. Every state and territory has one weekend set aside for testing both mental and physical attributes, as per the draft combine protocols.
“All results are collated and sent to the AFL before being distributed to the AFL clubs prior to the commencement tot the National Academy and national championship matches,” Gallio said.
AFLNT Development Coach, Jimmy Driscoll, is excited about being on a level playing field with the rest of the country and can’t wait to see what the players will produce.
“We are really excited to showcase the physical prowess that the Territory boys possess and look to utilise that in the five games we have coming up.
“The camp will also provide a great opportunity to get the whole squad together for the first time before the team travels to play. Gaining an understanding of each other and how they play,” Driscoll said.
See here for the updated 2018 Under 18 National Academy Series fixture, and the 2018 men’s Under 18 NT Thunder Academy squad list.