Academy: Gold Coast SUNS Gun Factory

[RowellAnderson12]

Just having a look at the list of names and you can't tell me there's actually a potential draftee named "Wes Walley"

He’ll get drafted too, hopefully to the swans

 

[Bring Back the Wave]

He’ll get drafted too, hopefully to the swans

Heard the only knock with him is that he has a habit of going missing during games

 

[Sun Stormer]

It's pretty incredible that Zeke Uwland keeps getting mentioned as the star of this draft class. He's literally the only player mentioned in the first sentence of that article and the first video is also a Zeke highlight. Maybe we really do have our very own Nick Daicos coming through the academy?

It's a shame that Murray has fallen away, but it also means we should be able to pick him up later in the draft without any dramas. Right now Uwland and Addinsall are the brightest prospects and Patterson could be the one that we really struggle to keep our hands on. Having said that, Patterson is probably more the type of player that Dimma would actually want in the team so he might be prioritised. Kalani has a decision to make and I'm still convinced he'll pick the Dees over us, but there is some merit to picking him up if we want a long-term key defender placement for Collins now that he's 30. That's assuming Kalani kicks on from here because right now I don't think he's at the level he should be in order to be considered a first round prospect.

Family ties, Academy guns loom large in 2025 AFL Academy squad

The Marsh AFL National Academy Boys squad has been revealed, with some familiar names among the 28 players selected

www.afl.com.au

If Kalani's last name wasn't White - he wouldn't be in the squad. I'd say Melbourne have worked some sort of pressure deal to give him the training at that level with the knowledge that he's going to be drafted. Very few signs that he's got the goods but he certainly has the height and pedigree I guess. I'd take Dylan Patterson after Zeke without a doubt - he's a keeper if they can tether his skill and mind set.

 

[Jen2310]

Kalini will be training with the suns in January. Will train with the dees in december.

I don't think its as much that Murray as fallen away is that only so many mid spots (heck, even Mcguane missed out, and he came runner up in the jets bnf and had a pretty solid year) so assuming its just a matter of position, I wouldn't think too much of it.

 

[2010premier]

Kalini will be training with the suns in January. Will train with the dees in december.

I don't think its as much that Murray as fallen away is that only so many mid spots (heck, even Mcguane missed out, and he came runner up in the jets bnf and had a pretty solid year) so assuming its just a matter of position, I wouldn't think too much of it.

Agree Jai had an excellent year developed nicely

 

[GC2015]

Some interesting quotes from Sam Marshall in today's Herald Sun about his experience boarding at Melbourne Grammar. He thinks Queensland juniors should stay here and go through the northern academy pathways, instead of following the Victorian private school scholarship pathway that he pursued, and specifically mentions our academy as an example of Queenslanders making it work while staying at home.

Just shows how far the pathways in Queensland have come since 2021 when Marshall felt he had to make the move to have a shot at being drafted. We've seen a few of our academy participants like Caleb Nancarrow and Boston Everitt make the move to Victoria and completely fall away in terms of their draft stocks, so I think it's wise for players like Kalani White to resist the urge to accept a scholarship in Melbourne and continue with the proven pathway up here.

“It was a pretty big move. I didn’t know anyone in Victoria. In the boarding house all the boys are pretty good to me, so it made the transition a bit easier which is good,” Marshall said.

It hasn’t been all smooth sailing, though, and he has a message for other Queensland talents considering the same move.

“I think now there’s definitely a pathway through Queensland, looking at last year all the Gold Coast boys who got picked up, I think four in the first round sort of thing,” Marshall said.

“Back when I decided to move to Melbourne, it seemed like there wasn’t really a pathway.

“I’d probably say keep going through the Queensland pathway because seems like it is definitely improving and seeing players get picked up now, so stick at it.”

...

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/draft/afl-draft-2024-brisbane-academy-prospect-sam-marshall-reflects-on-his-decision-to-move-to-melbourne-grammar/news-story/6344b8689c062de885f21e7ef0fb096c

 

[Jen2310]

Some interesting quotes from Sam Marshall in today's Herald Sun about his experience boarding at Melbourne Grammar. He thinks Queensland juniors should stay here and go through the northern academy pathways, instead of following the Victorian private school scholarship pathway that he pursued, and specifically mentions our academy as an example of Queenslanders making it work while staying at home.

Just shows how far the pathways in Queensland have come since 2021 when Marshall felt he had to make the move to have a shot at being drafted. We've seen a few of our academy participants like Caleb Nancarrow and Boston Everitt make the move to Victoria and completely fall away in terms of their draft stocks, so I think it's wise for players like Kalani White to resist the urge to accept a scholarship in Melbourne and continue with the proven pathway up here.

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/draft/afl-draft-2024-brisbane-academy-prospect-sam-marshall-reflects-on-his-decision-to-move-to-melbourne-grammar/news-story/6344b8689c062de885f21e7ef0fb096c

Its a good article. But I think it depends where you are located. If you're prob Bris or QLD, there is more incentive to stay. But like Marshall, he was from a town on the sunshine coast with a poor junior program, so if you're not near a major city, there comes with risk.

There is probably a of advantages to doing what he did. Getting access to the best resources, coaches, in the eyes of recruiters. Learning to be independant, as you find those that dont attend boarding school have to learn to take care of themselves.

The program wasnt the issue why Nancarrow and Boston fell away, but clearly they couldn't keep up with the best of the best, and they would have struggled no matter where they were. If you can't compete with the best vic players, how are you gonna get drafted?

 

[GC2015]

Its a good article. But I think it depends where you are located. If you're prob Bris or QLD, there is more incentive to stay. But like Marshall, he was from a town on the sunshine coast with a poor junior program, so if you're not near a major city, there comes with risk.

I understand what you're saying, but why couldn't he just switch junior clubs from Kawana to Maroochydore? Maroochydore is a 12 minute drive from Kawana and Maroochydore competes in the top level of the Queensland juniors leagues and also has a senior team in the QAFL. They joined the QAFL in 2020 so that was back when Marshall was based here.

Switching juniors clubs to compete in the higher division isn't uncommon up here - we saw it recently with Leo Lombard switching from QFA club Burleigh to QAFL club Broadbeach. There are two Sunshine Coast teams in the top division of Queensland football (Maroochydore and Noosa) so I feel like it's not really that big of an issue if you're based there. Travelling to Brisbane for Academy training would be annoying, though.

There is probably a of advantages to doing what he did. Getting access to the best resources, coaches, in the eyes of recruiters. Learning to be independant, as you find those that dont attend boarding school have to learn to take care of themselves.

The program wasnt the issue why Nancarrow and Boston fell away, but clearly they couldn't keep up with the best of the best, and they would have struggled no matter where they were. If you can't compete with the best vic players, how are you gonna get drafted?

Pros and cons. Sure, you get access to great resources (still not convinced that a CTL/APS team has access to better resource than a northern academy using AFL facilities) but you also have to deal with moving away from your friends/family at a young age, making new friends, adapting to a foreign environment, learning a new football program etc. That can be very challenging for some and those players are potentially better off staying up here.

They definitely fell away, but would that have happened up here? I think both Nancarrow and Everitt would have continued to be chosen to play for our academy team had they been based here and that would've meant continued exposure to the Coates Talent League, the Division II Academy Series and potentially the Allies program as well. Surely you're better off playing top level footy up here than division 2 or 3 in Melbourne like we saw happen to Boston Everitt this year.

 

[Jirik13]

Its a good article. But I think it depends where you are located. If you're prob Bris or QLD, there is more incentive to stay. But like Marshall, he was from a town on the sunshine coast with a poor junior program, so if you're not near a major city, there comes with risk.

There is probably a of advantages to doing what he did. Getting access to the best resources, coaches, in the eyes of recruiters. Learning to be independant, as you find those that dont attend boarding school have to learn to take care of themselves.

The program wasnt the issue why Nancarrow and Boston fell away, but clearly they couldn't keep up with the best of the best, and they would have struggled no matter where they were. If you can't compete with the best vic players, how are you gonna get drafted?

Suns re-locate most talented kids from outside areas to GC. So essentially the same, kids have to move, learn to be independent etc. Question is are programs in Melbourne better than Suns academy.

Training with AFL players, see how Miller goes about it, have access to top facilities, staff is a pretty handy experience.

 

[Jen2310]

Pros and cons. Sure, you get access to great resources (still not convinced that a CTL/APS team has access to better resource than a northern academy using AFL facilities) but you also have to deal with moving away from your friends/family at a young age, making new friends, adapting to a foreign environment, learning a new football program etc. That can be very challenging for some and those players are potentially better off staying up here.

They definitely fell away, but would that have happened up here? I think both Nancarrow and Everitt would have continued to be chosen to play for our academy team had they been based here and that would've meant continued exposure to the Coates Talent League, the Division II Academy Series and potentially the Allies program as well. Surely you're better off playing top level footy up here than division 2 or 3 in Melbourne like we saw happen to Boston Everitt this year.

Its a shame what happened with Boston. He went to private school but did he ever play CTL once he moved to melb? I can't recall. While he is working with Holistic Althletic development, but playing for Balwyn isn't great for him.He should be aiming to get onto a vfl list.

Its hard to see what would have become of these two if they stayed. But for Boston was it a case of his family moving to melb?

There is probably more advantages to staying in the academy system now that its improved, unless you are struggling for opportunity and would be happy to get drafted anywhere, so getting in front of recruiters the better.

As for Marshall, yeah he could have moved junior clubs, not sure why he didn't think of that. But I guess it would be hard to turn down a scholarship to board in melb at the time, because who knows where his development might have been if eh didn't decide that. He had access to a lot of good opportunities here.
I think it varies from player to player depending where they are at, if they think its better for them to stay or move for more opportunity to get drafted

But with how the academies are growing and more and more are getting drafted, I think we'll see less taking up interstate scholarships - Unless they want to of course. As there is now a better pathways to get into the system from QLD than there may have been before.

 

[Young_Guns]

He’s right in that the pathway for kids on the GC is probably just about better in your 16/17/18 years than in Melbourne given the access to the facilities and senior training plus coaching.

However, unless things have changed in the last 12 months or so, any kid who gets drafted out of the Brisbane academy has done so in spite of being in the academy, not because of it. He would’ve gotten more out of the Maroochydore program than the Lions, so the free tuition would be a big draw card considering he would’ve still be able to get drafted to Brisbane.

Same as kids moving from up North. The free tuition is still going to be a massive plus given they have to move anyway. But it’s still incredible that us and Sydney have created environments where it is even a comparison.