| 3/10/07 AFL plunders Tassie talent Five go through the hoops in this year's draft selection wringer | |
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By: JAMES BRESNEHAN Mariners players Tom Collier, Aaron Joseph, Jaye Bowden, Tom Bellchambers and Alex Grima are among a record field of 79 draft camp attendees, all hoping to be selected in the AFL draft on November 24. The ``fab five'' will jump, sprint and sweat their way through three days of the toughest physical tests sports scientists could devise to gauge speed, endurance and strength. At the head of Tasmania's Class of '07 is Lauderdale 18-year-old Collier, who was yesterday rated ``a certainty'' to be drafted by the man in charge of the draft camp, AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan. ``It's hard to know where Tom will go, the clubs will decide that, but I'd say he's a certainty to get drafted,'' Sheehan said. ``He was at the draft camp last year and got overlooked. ``But the year that he's had in terms of maturing and developing, Tom has come on so well that he is now an outstanding AFL prospect.'' At the start of the 2007 season, Mariners coach Andrew Mellor thought the pickings in Tasmanian football were rather slim. ``We thought Tom Collier was the only obvious draft choice, but by the end of the season we now have a realistic chance of getting four guys drafted,'' Mellor said. ``That could be a mixture of the AFL draft and the rookie draft.'' Collier and Joseph were named in the All-Australian team at the national under-18 championships in Melbourne this year. When available, Collier was a regular for the Devils in the VFL, and when given the chance, Joseph and Grima impressed AFL recruiters with their VFL form. Bellchambers averaged 31 hit-outs per game for the Mariners this season, and 34 per game at the national championships, and produced a five-goal best-on-ground performance for the Allies against Victoria in Melbourne last Thursday. Bowden's footy smarts, goalkicking and ability to run through the midfield make him a player of interest to AFL scouts. ``All the playing has been done, it's a chance now for the clubs to get up close and personal with each of the players and get to know them as a person and as athletes,'' Sheehan said. He expects 50 of the 79 will get drafted. THE SCHEDULE Today: Fitness assessment height/weight, sit & reach, skinfolds, arm length, handspan, medical and visual screens, psychomotor tests, reaction time, decision making, peripheral awareness, repeat sprints endurance Tomorrow: Sprint, agility, vertical jump, panel discussion with AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan, AFLPA general manager game development Steve Alessio and 2007 NAB AFL Rising Star nominee Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood), shuttle run (beep test). Friday: Group skills session, 3km time trial. |
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