Six players test at the NAB AFL State Combine

Six players from the New South Wales and ACT region attended last week’s NAB AFL State Combine at Etihad Stadium.

In difference to those who attended the 2017 NAB AFL Draft Combine also held last week, these six players were nominated to test by either two or three AFL Clubs, as opposed to five or more.

The GIANTS Academy was represented at the State Combine by Doulton Landlands, Jy Lane, Alex Paech, Nathan Richards and Daniel Johnston. UNSW Eastern Suburbs Bulldogs player, James Bell was also in attendance from the Sydney Swans Academy. All players were a part of the Allies team throughout the 2017 NAB AFL Under 18 Championships through the middle of the year.

While Richards and Johnston did fly to Melbourne for club interviews and medicals, they were unable to test physically due to injuries suffered during the 2017 season.

Richards is currently recovering from a navicular fracture in his right foot, an injury which has seen him unable to play for the past ten weeks. Things are looking brighter for Richards however, as he is due to start running this week.

Johnston also sat out the trials due to stress reactions in the L4 section of his spine suffered late in  his 2017 season with his TAC Cup club, the Murray Bushrangers. The injury saw him miss not only the final three games of the year, but the finals series. Despite the serious nature of Johnston’s injury, he began running the week of the State Combine, and has a month of rehab ahead of him.

For the players who did test, their day was slightly less arduous than their Draft Combine counterparts, not having to take part in the kicking skills or 2km time trial components of testing.

Others to test on the day included players from Victoria and Queensland, while players from South Australia and Western Australia are set to be tested this coming weekend.

The 2017 NAB AFL Draft will take place on 24 November 2017 at Sydney Olympic Park.