AFL players heading to Tonga

AFL players Karmichael Hunt, Israel Folau and Nic Naitanui will travel to Tonga to attend the Youth AFL Oceania Cup this week.

The players will be ambassadors during the tournament mentoring their respective nations and assisting in AFL Combine testing.

Seven South Pacific nations will play in the carnival; Fiji, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Samoa and Tonga.

The week-long carnival starts on Tuesday December 14 will also involve the AFL’s Indigenous Youth team, the Flying Boomerangs.

The squad of 24, 15-year-olds will be coached by recently retired Adelaide Crows champion Andrew McLeod. The Boomerangs will play two matches against an Oceania Under 16 and a South Pacific team.

Andrew said it is a great opportunity to coach young Indigenous players.

“This will be an amazing learning experience not only for me but for the players also as it will be the first time many have travelled outside Australia.

“The tour is not just about on field skills, the program is also about reinforcing leadership and culture,” Andrew said.

The squad was selected following the annual AFL KickStart camp conducted in Sydney last August. The Flying Boomerangs will return to Sydney on January 2011 to be part of the AFL Players Associations Indigenous player camp.

The best 40 players from the Youth AFL Oceania Cup will be invited to attend an AFL Combine for high performance testing and a skills session. The South Pacific team that will participate in the 2011 NAB AFL Under 16 Championships will be selected at the conclusion of the carnival.