NSW pair join Flying Boomerangs

Young NSW stars Liam Nelson and Logan Gray will join the best Indigenous talent in the country to compete at the Under-16 National Championships as part of the Flying Boomerangs.

Nelson represented NSW in the Under-15s State side in 2012 and was part of the NSW Under-15s Indigenous State team in 2012 and 2013.

He played for Mogo Magic in 2011 and 2012 and was Best on Ground in the Magic’s 2012 Grand Final winning performance against Batemans Bay.

He currently plays for the Queanbeyan Tigers Under-15s side.

Gray, from Banks in the ACT, was a late call up to the squad.

He plays for the Tuggeranong Hawks in the nation’s capital, and is a member of the Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy.

The Flying Boomerangs  squad will be coached by Eugene Warrior, former Port Adelaide (SANFL) player who currently coaches the Division One Salisbury North Football Club.

The Flying Boomerangs is a personal development and leadership program for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young men aged 14-15 years-old, supported by the Coles AFL Indigenous Program.

Selected by the AFL’s Chris Johnson from the 2013 National KickStart Under-15 Championships held in Townsville, the squad of 25 young Indigenous men has been chosen based on football talent and leadership skills.

Jason Mifsud, AFL Head of Diversity, said the Flying Boomerangs program is a great opportunity for the best rising Indigenous talent in the nation to develop on and off the field.

“The Flying Boomerangs will be exposed to elite training and coaching, as well as personal development opportunities during the NAB AFL Under-16 Championships (July 6-13) and the international high performance camp.

“We are extremely excited by the appointment of Eugene Warrior as coach of the 2013 squad.

“Eugene is part of the AFL’s Indigenous Coaching Academy and his pathway to head coach of the Boomerangs is a strong example of the support and development opportunities that the Academy creates for rising Indigenous coaches.”

The Flying Boomerangs will also tour internationally in December.