Coaches back looming academies to boost footy’s fight for talent

Two leading coaches believe the advent of talent academies in Tasmania will be a huge boost in football’s fight for young talent, and could ensure this year’s fruitful national draft is more commonplace.

Jon Tuxworth

@Tuxy81

3 min read

December 5, 2023 - 9:13AM

News Corp Australia Sports Newsroom

Darcy Foal (North Hobart), Adele Bahr (Kingborough), Mia Barwick (Claremont) and Toby Budd (Lindisfarne) at last month’s announcement the AFL will invest $500,000 a year into developing Tasmania's talent. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

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Two of Tasmania’s most prominent coaches are adamant the introduction of talent academies will help football hit back in the fight for the state’s best athletes.

The academies of AFL clubs in the northern states have come under fire from some Victorian clubs after Gold Coast was able to pick up four players in the top 26 of the national draft, including Jed Walter (three) and Jake Rogers (nine).

Tasmania enjoyed arguably its best draft in history with Colby McKercher (two), Ryley Sanders (six), James Leake (17) and Arie Schoemaker (62) all picked up.

Last month the AFL announced $500,000 a year would be invested into the state’s talent, with development managers implemented in all three regions.

After the draft, Launceston coach Scott Stephens said the investment in young talent is vital, particularly given the inroads basketballs has made since the arrival of the JackJumpers.

“We’ve got to have these academies like the Swans, GWS and Gold Coast have been doing since their inceptions,” he said.

“For Tassie to have additional funding to upskill our talented kids, it’s just what we needed.

“Footy’s got a bit of work to do to wrestle some control back, because we are the number one sport and we’ve got to claim it back with our kids.”

Rob Auld AFL's EGM of Game Development Rob Auld and Head of AFL Tasmania Damian Gill with Hobart juniors at last month’s announcement the AFL will invest $500,000 a year into developing Tasmania's homegrown talent. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

North Launceston coach Brad Cox-Goodyer said the new development programs, which will target boys and girls aged 12-15, can potentially ensure more players are ready to be drafted by their late teens.

“If they get some good coaching from the age of 12 onwards, hopefully we get a few more that are draftable,” he said.

“Hopefully we’re looking back at this year where we got four (drafted) and thinking ‘that’s nothing compared to what we’re doing now’.

“You only have to look at Gold Coast and what they did (at the draft) this year. Not every year is going to look like that, but those kids have been in the system for a number of years and train with their AFL team.

“They’re going to roll into an AFL side now, and already know the players and environment. If we can get something similar, hopefully we can tap into what they do and see why they’ve been successful the last couple of years.

“If 12 or 13 year olds are around an AFL system, hopefully it lights a fire and inspires them to work hard.”

Cox-Goodyer said Tasmania’s draft bounty this year should be motivation for other juniors coming through.

“It was one of the better nights for Tassie footy, it’s testament to what everyone’s doing,” he said.

“With these new academies coming in, hopefully we find a few more of them.

Deb Reynolds, Tasmanian women's football coach, at North Hobart Oval. Picture James Bresnehan

“If we can start winning some of these battles with basketball and soccer and so forth (it will help). I think everyone knows the impact the JackJumpers have made.

“We need to get those more talented athletes into the system, because that’s what they are to start with. They’re not footballers yet but if they play our sport from a young age, by the time they do get to that (draft) age they’re ready to go.”

Tasmania women’s representative coach Deb Reynolds said the looming AFLW and VFLW teams is a crucial juncture to seize for football.

Tasmanians Colby McKercher, James Leake and Ryley Sanders were all selected in the recent AFL national draft. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

“We’ve got a lot of talent here in Tasmania and soon we’ll be fielding that in VFLW and AFLW,” she said.

“We need to nurture that and give them these girls the best opportunities to get to that level consistently.

“It’s a really massive opportunity. I’m sure there’ll be young females thinking do I want to balance say basketball and football, or do I cross over (solely on football) and have a really hot crack.

“Because something special is already happening in Tasmania. The opportunity to wear ‘The Map’, it’s unrivalled in any other sport. To run out onto somewhere like North Hobart like we did this year, no other sport comes close.”

Brad Cox-Goodyer in action during this year’s TSL grand final. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Cox-Goodyer feels Tasmania can emulate Geelong and use the quieter lifestyle as a bargaining tool for possible recruits.

“You look at someone like Jeremy Cameron, he went to Geelong because he’s a country boy,” Cox-Goodyer said.

“Tasmania is similar in that regard. Hopefully we can find a couple of guys like that who like the slower lifestyle, and don’t want to live in the bubble of Melbourne football.

“I can see it being attractive to some because you don’t have to travel an hour-and-a-half to get to places like you do in Melbourne.”

Originally published as Coaches back looming academies to boost footy’s fight for talent