AFL stars head to Wagga Wagga

By James Matthey

The young talent of Wagga Wagga will have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity this Thursday when a trio of former AFL icons make their way to the Riverina to pass on their knowledge to the stars of tomorrow.

Ex-Swans players Tadhg Kennelly, Jason Saddington and former Essendon veteran Mark McVeigh will conduct a training session for the players of the Wagga Swans at Anderson Oval.

They will be keeping a keen eye on the players on show, with all three heavily involved in the training and development of young talent in NSW and the ACT.

Saddington, who played 142 games in eight seasons with the Swans before going on to play at Carlton, is currently the NSW/ACT RAMS Under-18s coach, while Kennelly, who played in the 2005 premiership-winning side at the Swans, is coach of the NSW/ACT RAMS Under-16s team that won the Division Two title at the recent National Championships in Sydney.

McVeigh played over 200 games for the Bombers across a career spanning more than a decade, and has taken up the role of Talent and Coaching Manager – Sydney Harbour North this year since retiring from professional football in 2012.

This unique training session was won by the Wagga Swans in the 2012 AFL NSW/ACT Community Club raffle.