Academy: Gold Coast SUNS Gun Factory

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Shoutout to our academy stars and the PBC boys for winning another senior male state championship (AFLQ Schools Cup) last week. The team was led by Will Graham who followed in Jed Walter's footsteps from last year and claimed the grand final best on ground award this year. Both will be on our senior list in a few weeks!

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I think a modified PB Guernsey would suit the Suns just fine
 
Will's finally getting some love and recognition - he'll be a champ.
It's great to see Will getting some love after so much attention has been directed at Walter, Read and Rogers this season. They're now saying Graham could attract a bid as high as top 20! Unreal to think we could have four top 20 picks in coming out of our academy in the same draft year. Three of which are from the same junior club which just makes it even more remarkable.

While we're on the topic, it's probably also worth noting that the PBC senior female, junior male and junior female teams also claimed their respective state championships last week too. So it was a clean sweep for PBC last week and unsurprisingly another one of our academy stars + current U15 All Australian Jackson Jarvis was voted best on ground in the junior male grand final. Another future star to keep an eye on as he makes the big step into the U16s level next year. Anyone know how tall Jarvis is?

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I think a modified PB Guernsey would suit the Suns just fine
I like the idea but I think the Swans would have something to say about it. Possibly Fremantle too who had a similar design for their heritage jumper back in the day.
 
It's great to see Will getting some love after so much attention has been directed at Walter, Read and Rogers this season. They're now saying Graham could attract a bid as high as top 20! Unreal to think we could have four top 20 picks in coming out of our academy in the same draft year. Three of which are from the same junior club which just makes it even more remarkable.

While we're on the topic, it's probably also worth noting that the PBC senior female, junior male and junior female teams also claimed their respective state championships last week too. So it was a clean sweep for PBC last week and unsurprisingly another one of our academy stars + current U15 All Australian Jackson Jarvis was voted best on ground in the junior male grand final. Another future star to keep an eye on as he makes the big step into the U16s level next year. Anyone know how tall Jarvis is?

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I like the idea but I think the Swans would have something to say about it. Possibly Fremantle too who had a similar design for their heritage jumper back in the day.
Looks like he's cut his hair since last year. Another one I really liked the first time I saw him.
 

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Thank goodness. Need to hit up FA
Yeah I reckon you need to get to the point were taking so many kids in the draft should only be the bare minimum, and top up with experience in the trade/FA area.

Even if there are kids coming through the academy, it's not a bad thing to let them go. Lions has done it. The point of these academies is to get them into the afl system, no matter which club it may be at.
 
FYI.
Brisbane Chairman.








Andrew Wellington

@AJWellytweet

Bit of angst over the #AFLDraft and Nthn Academies. Looking at 2023 AFL lists, Nthn state clubs had approx 23% of their lists drafted from the clubs home state. Average for other 14 clubs approx 60%, over 65% for Vic clubs. That’s a significant gap. (1 of 3)

Academies grow the game in non-traditional AFL states which makes the code stronger for everyone. They address a disadvantage which is real and based on results there’s no evidence they have created 4 Nthn super clubs at the expense of other clubs. (2 of 3)

Other sports are envious of what AFL is doing to grow the game. To unwind a strategy each time you get evidence it might be working appropriately would be a serious miscalculation. (3 of 3).
 
Gold Coast Suns Academy over-ager Ella Calleja is a strong aerial player with great versatility and some neat tricks that allow her to impact games. Nominating nationally, Calleja is next up in our #AFLWDraft Pocket Profiles

 
It looks like two high quality girls will be joining us next year. Harris a top pick at the moment.
Havana Harris (Suns Academy/Queensland)
01/07/2006 | 182cm | Key Position Utility | TOP PICK


Our choice for pick one in a loaded field, Harris is a unique player in so many ways. Standing at above 180cm, she has explosive speed, and can play anywhere on the ground. Her footy IQ is high, she is terrific overhead or at ground level and earned both the AFLW Under 18 Championships’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, as well as best on ground in Bond University’s QAFL Women’s premiership.

Having plied her trade as a forward to start with, Harris progressed into the ruck for for the Gold Coast Suns Academy and Queensland, before incredibly lining up on the 162cm Shineah Goody at the first centre bounce for the Maroons. At her size and speed, she is near-impossible to stop, and the sight of her taking a multiple-bounce run down the wing is remarkable. One of the many reasons she is Rookie Me Central’s top pick for 2024 at this state.
Tara Harrington (Suns Academy/Queensland)
24/03/2006 | 166cm | Midfielder/Defender


Poise and skill underpin Harrington’s gamestyle with the medium midfielder also capable of running off half-back. She makes terrific decisions with ball-in-hand and picks off those high-risk, high-reward passes into the corridor more often than not. Though one who may fly under the radar due to teammate Havana Harris’ pick one potential, she is a very top-end talent in her own right.
 
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It looks like two high quality girls will be joining us next year. Harris a top pick at the moment.
The club has been eyeing off Havana Harris for many years. She made the U18 AA team in 2022, 2023 and is expected to do so again in 2024. Her bottom age 2023 season was outstanding and included the MVP award in the U18 National Championships as well as a best on ground performance in Bond Uni's breakthrough QAFLW grand final win. Did I mention analysts consider her to be the best prospect in her draft class and would go number 1 if the AFLW draft was run like the men's? Don't be surprised if she leads Queensland to its first ever U18 National Championship victory next year and helps Bond Uni go back-to-back in the QAFLW. She's going to be a star (if she isn't already) and Varsity College's AFL excellence program will have the bragging rights next year when they produce top 10 picks in both the male and female drafts with Harris and Leo Lombard both considered strong chances to be drafted in the top 10.

Brother Jonah Harris is out with the U18 Boys as well - big guy with upside.
That's impressive considering Jonah was playing U15s this year. This seems to be the new model for our academy where we take our elite U16 players like Addinsall, Murray, Z.Uwland this year and blood them into our U18s program so they get exposure to the highest U18s level really early on. You'd assume this model is going to pay dividends in the long run as these juniors adjust to a much higher level of footy early on and are ready to thrive by the time their draft year rolls around. Fortunately for us we seem to have the talent coming through our academy to make this possible whereas I don't think other northern academies would be able to pull it off. Maybe GWS but their best prospects are more likely to relocate and board in Victoria instead.

Any idea how tall Jonah is? Havana is 182cm at the moment so I would assume Jonah is going to be pretty tall if he isn't already.
 
The club has been eyeing off Havana Harris for many years. She made the U18 AA team in 2022, 2023 and is expected to do so again in 2024. Her bottom age 2023 season was outstanding and included the MVP award in the U18 National Championships as well as a best on ground performance in Bond Uni's breakthrough QAFLW grand final win. Did I mention analysts consider her to be the best prospect in her draft class and would go number 1 if the AFLW draft was run like the men's? Don't be surprised if she leads Queensland to its first ever U18 National Championship victory next year and helps Bond Uni go back-to-back in the QAFLW. She's going to be a star (if she isn't already) and Varsity College's AFL excellence program will have the bragging rights next year when they produce top 10 picks in both the male and female drafts with Harris and Leo Lombard both considered strong chances to be drafted in the top 10.


That's impressive considering Jonah was playing U15s this year. This seems to be the new model for our academy where we take our elite U16 players like Addinsall, Murray, Z.Uwland this year and blood them into our U18s program so they get exposure to the highest U18s level really early on. You'd assume this model is going to pay dividends in the long run as these juniors adjust to a much higher level of footy early on and are ready to thrive by the time their draft year rolls around. Fortunately for us we seem to have the talent coming through our academy to make this possible whereas I don't think other northern academies would be able to pull it off. Maybe GWS but their best prospects are more likely to relocate and board in Victoria instead.

Any idea how tall Jonah is? Havana is 182cm at the moment so I would assume Jonah is going to be pretty tall if he isn't already.
Some will know but he's well over 182 I'd guess. Very tall and big. Hurt his knee last year but hopefully all better now. You can never have enough big boys.
 
Some will know but he's well over 182 I'd guess. Very tall and big. Hurt his knee last year but hopefully all better now. You can never have enough big boys.
Seems to be a few of them in that '26 draft class for our academy. Jackson Jarvis is apparently well over 182cm as well and was named in the AA team this year. I think it's important for us to not fall into the trap of drafting academy players just because they are tall. It's one thing to draft an academy player just purely because of a positional need for height like Matthew Conroy, but it's another thing all together to draft a highly talented tall like Ethan Read. It's like comparing Caleb Graham with Darcy Moore. Chalk and cheese.
 
Probably went a bit under the radar at the time but Leo Lombard played really well at the MCG in the U17 Futures game on Grand Final Day. He was obviously tired from the VFL GF win the week before but still managed 24 disposals while playing in the midfield and was clearly one of the best players in the game. Can't wait to see what Leo can achieve this year!

 
Congratulations to the 35 boys who have been selected into the U18 male’s final squad and the 9 players that will be VFL aligned. The squad’s training is in full swing in preparation to compete in the Northern Academy Series and the Coates Talent League.

It is also exciting to highlight that there are 7 North Queensland players selected in the squad.
U18 Squad Selection
NameCommunity Club
Archie HillBroadbeach
Beau AddinsallBurleigh/Broadbeach
Ben LeedsSurfers Paradise
Caleb NancarrowCairns City Lions
Cooper CollinsBroadbeach
Cooper HynesBroadbeach
Dylan PattersonPalm Beach Currumbin
Ethan JohnstonCoolangatta Tweed
Finlay GrayBroadbeach
Harrison GrayTweed Coast/Palm Beach Currumbin
Harry CookCentrals Trinity Beach
Jai MurrayBurleigh/Broadbeach
Jezz ButlerCairns City Lions/Broadbeach
Joe KennedyBroadbeach
Jonah HarrisBurleigh
Josh WattersCoolangatta Tweed
Kalani WhiteBroadbeach
Koby CoulsonSouthport/Broadbeach
Lachlan CrampBurleigh
Lachlan GulbinBurleigh/Broadbeach
Leonardo LombardBurleigh/Broadbeach
Lucas SnowballSurfers Paradise
Maddox IverachBroadbeach
Matthew HoyLabrador
Max CrusePalm Beach Currumbin
Max HudsonBroadbeach
Max MarshBITS Saints
Nelson Beikoff SmartPalm Beach Currumbin
Oscar WoodSurfers Paradise
Riley ClarkPalm Beach Currumbin
Taj LockettBroadbeach
Ty FitzgeraldBITS Saints
Zac EckersleyBroadbeach
Zai MillaneBurleigh Bombers/Surfers Paradise
Zeke UwlandBurleigh
Beau Lester-Sutherland (U19/VFL)Palm Beach Currumbin
Ben O'Brien (U19/VFL)Yeppoon/Broadbeach
Charlie Elliott (U19/VFL)Palm Beach Currumbin
Finn Hay (U19/VFL)Palm Beach Currumbin
Harry Sullivan (U19/VFL)Labrador
Josh Zanker Close (U19/VFL)Broadbeach
Matthew Evans (U19/VFL)Hermit Park/Broadbeach
Nathan Kady (U19/VFL)Labrador
Nick Francis (U19/VFL)Bond University
 
Some familiar names in there making the final cut - Joe Kennedy (son of Maxy), Josh Watters (son of Scott), Kalani White (son of Jeff), Taj Lockett (nephew of Tony) and Zai Millane (nephew of Darren). It would appear that all of those players that not named Kalani White are there for us to draft if they are good enough.

Very young for an U18 team with Addinsall, Murray, Patterson, Uwland, White, Leeds, Collins, Johnston, H.Gray, Watters, Coulson, Cramp, Iverach, Hoy, Hudson, Clark and Z.Eckersley all bottom agers in the team as well as a few more that are another year younger (Hill, Harris etc). Not expecting this young team to be overly competitive against the Vic CTL sides but hopefully that doesn't prevent the standouts like Lombard from shining this year.

Anyone know when they start playing competitive games this year?
 
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Academy: Gold Coast SUNS Gun Factory

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