Academy talent lines up for the GIANTS
The Greater Western Sydney GIANTS are continuing their push to provide exciting development opportunities to young players, with five academy members selected to play for the GIANTS this Saturday.
Joe Redfern, Harry Cunningham, Cameron Gordon, Stuart Turner and Jordon Harper will all line up for the GIANTS when the club takes on Brisbane at Coorparoo at 2pm Saturday.
The GIANTS Academy offers talented young AFL players from Greater Western Sydney, the Riverina, the NSW South Coast and the ACT an opportunity to benefit from individual development programs and gives them a clear talent pathway from their local clubs to the AFL.
According to GIANTS Academy Manager, Lachlan Buszard this week’s GIANTS squad reaffirms the club’s commitment to developing talent in their catchment areas and is a fantastic opportunity for the players to test themselves on a big stage.
“These young guys will be playing on better players tomorrow. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to see where they need to get to in order to play AFL football and where their bodies need to be,” Buszard said.
“They’re being exposed to an intensity, speed and level of professionalism that they haven’t been before. They will go through all of the preparation, match day structures and recovery that AFL players do and at sixteen, that is a big deal for their development as footballers.”
Following last week’s match against the Swans, GIANTS head coach Kevin Sheedy was full of praise for Academy member Joe Redfern from Wagga, a talented young player that Buszard says is thrilled to have the chance to play in the orange and charcoal.
“For all of these kids, including Joey, it’s about exposing them to a high level of football. Joey comes from Wagga and excels in local footy so playing with the GIANTS gives him an opportunity to test himself against some great players that he wouldn’t be lining up on otherwise.”
Buszard is excited by the commitment that the GIANTS have to developing the talent pathway in their region and the future prospects that this investment means for the AFL club.
“From a talent point of view, we won’t see the results of some of the resources that the club is investing in our catchment areas for a few years but when we do it will be fantastic. Right now they’re getting a chance to go out on the field and play in front of the GIANTS coaching staff and show them what they’ve got.
“We will continue to track their progress and offer them a personal development programs through the Academy. We’ve got some phenomenally gifted kids in our area and I can’t wait to see where some of them will end up with the help of the structures we’ve set up,” Buszard said.
The GIANTS are also providing exciting opportunities for local Western Sydney players from the AFL Sydney competition with Tim Barton from Sydney University and Dave Linsen and Nils Williams from Campbelltown as well as the Hills’ Stuart Turner all joining the side in Brisbane this weekend.
