Six members of the preliminary 2011 Queensland U18 squad have been invited to do pre-season training with the Gold Coast Suns as the selection process for the 2011 Australia Post Scorpions jumps into full swing.
Friday, 5 November, 2010
Six members of the preliminary 2011 Queensland U18 squad have been invited to do pre-season training with the Gold Coast Suns as the selection process for the 2011 Australia Post Scorpions jumps into full swing.
Former AFL/AIS squad member Jackson Allen, current AFL/AIS squad members Sam Michael and Alex Sexton, plus Peter Yagmoor, Aaron Laskey and Fraser Eaton will train with the Suns from 22 November through until the end of February before linking with the Scorpions program.
For Michael, Yagmoor and Laskey it will be a forerunner to their second State U18 campaign, having played with the side this year, while it will be a first for Allen after he missed the 2010 Scorpions program due to injury.
Sexton will step up from the Young Scorpions U16 program after winning the Division Two B&F Medal at the Australian Championships this year, while Eaton is a Rookie Search product from Cairns who will get his first taste of elite football after he missed the U16 campaign this year through injury.
The six Suns invitees have been excluded from preliminary squads announced today following an exhaustive testing/screening program undertaken across Queensland in October.
A further 76 players, split into three squads and covering the Gold Coast, Brisbane North and Brisbane South regions, have been invited to undertake stage one of the Scorpions’ pre-season program.
All members of the 2010 Young Scorpions (U16) side were automatically included, while eight members of the 2010 Scorpions (U18) side have been included again.
The returning members of the U18 squad are the Jackson Rolfe, Josh Kolka, Wyatt Bacon, Dalton Tucker and Tom Fields from the Gold Coast, Rhys Tagell and Chris Wittkopp from Brisbane South, and Jack James from Brisbane North.
The three training squads, as announced by AFL Queensland State Talent Manager Bob Batty, are:-
Gold Coast: Jackson Rolfe, Fraser Thurlow, Josh Kolka, Wyatt Bacon, Dalton Tucker, Jack Watmuff, Ryan Maetam, Ryder Court, Jamie Skennar, Andrew Boston, Josh Bull, Keiron Brennan, Tom Davidson, Brody Haberfield, Daniel Van DeWerken, Zak Davies, Michael Forsdyke, Nathan Sharp, Tom Fields, Will Wolbers, Ty Fankhauser, Jake Jones.
Brisbane South: Lachlan Woods- Honour, Chris Murphy, Tim Colburn, Daniel Frame, Nathan Newcastle, Hayden Thick, Alex Dickfos, Jordan Bain, Craig Malone, Jesse Wallin, Ryan Johnson, Nick Davidson, Ambrose Killian, Jim Wallis, Lachlan Russ, Kyle Goodman, Tyrone Brimble, Clay Cameron, Jordan Bourke, Jock Oates, Michael Wyld, Brian Coleman- Broome, Rhys Tagell, Chris Wittkopp, Alex Hall, Nick Upton, Josh Smith, Matthew Waltisbuhl, Sam Adams.
Brisbane North: Jack James, Fraser Thompson, Spencer Greville, Dominic Smith, Luke Reynolds, Sam Henry, Jack Guest, James Ives, Luke Glastonbury, Tom Overington, Daniel Daye, Josh Wagner, Brock Paulke, Daniel Brown, Shaun Crook, Curtis Ricker, Alex Walker, Sam Panoho, Jonno Freeman, Darcy Burns, Alir Alir, Patrick Nandy, Seth Turner, Harry Wilson, Nick Lancaster, Sam Cabrera.
Further to these players, Rory Pope and Sam Daff from Bundaberg/Wide Bay have been identified as contenders for the Brisbane North squad. They will train within their own region over summer before a final decision is made.
Likewise, 19 possible additions to the Gold Coast squad from North Queensland – Andrew Brown, Luke Chitty, Damien Dewis-Trackson, Jermaine Wardle, Evan Magnus (Cairns), Leigh Cossens, Daniel Hunt, Luke Lambart, Cameron O’Grady, Darcy Payne (Capricornia), Nathan Billingham, Tyler Jones, Hayden Lang, Kurt Scown, Nabako Stow, Brodie Tebutt (Mackay) and Henry Joyce, John Macanash and James Markham ( Townsville).
Batty advises that training commences for all three groups next Wednesday, 10 November.
An orientation session for the Brisbane North and Brisbane South groups will be held at Aspley Football Club, Graham Road, commencing at 5.30 pm.
The orientation for the Gold Coast group will commence at 5pm at the Gold Coast Suns’ Carrara headquarters.
There will be three training sessions per week through phase one of the pre-season – two strength and conditioning sessions and one skills training session.
For further information, please contact Bob Batty on (0403) 344382 or email [email protected]
The grouping of selection candidates under Gold Coast, Brisbane North and Brisbane South is part of a new-look program that will streamline the Scorpions’ preparation.
Gone are the regional-based teams known for so long as the Northern Raiders, South-East Bushrangers, Western Taipans, Gold Coast Stingrays, Suncoast Power and Country Kookaburras.
These regional sides will now finish at U16 level following the abandonment of the State U18 Championships.
In their place at U18 level will be program built around the AFL’s new-look Academy program under which all players will either be aligned to Brisbane/Sunshine Coast or Gold Coast/Country.
The Brisbane/Sunshine Coast division stretches to Bundaberg, with players from Rockhampton north falling into the Gold Coast/Country section.
This is a forerunner to a system where, in time, the Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast Suns will have first call on players from their respective zones.
