Thread: Advice from Mexicans?????

Sorry mate, I know nothing about gay eff el.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

Sorry mate, I know nothing about gay eff el.

Typical queenslander response!

If they are looking at him at this age, give him all the help he can get. If he keeps going to this training, it doesn't necessarily mean he will get picked up by the Suns at senior level, any team might see something in him that the Suns don't.
He could make a very lucrative career from it, more so than other sports like NRL.

Might be time for you to start following and learning about the game, just don't follow the Suns or Carlton, they are both rubbish

My son was selected for Suns academy, though he never made squad selection.

I am very surprised that you have not been contacted by the AFL or the Suns to discuss procedures etc.

I thought all matters were handled and discussed by the coaching committee very well and my son's welfare appeared to be a genuine point throughout the programme.

Your son should have a representative at his school or one made available to you to discuss all matters pertaining to attending the academy.

My son had left school already and was not a minor when he attended but we were kept in the loop with everything.

The workload is gruelling for the boys and the drop out rate is automatic. Lots of hard fast interval work and mind games sort them out.

Consider diet or even discuss it with the co ordinators. Energy needs and recouperation is important.

I wish him well , it will be a tough road for a 14yo.

My niece's boyfriend (now 19) is right into AFL and played it all his life where he lived in Darwin. If you look at top notch AFL players you will see they tend to be tall and lean where rugby players tend to be shorter, stockier and heavier - when both are in peak condition generally rugby guys are heavier - this is the problem this kid has - too short and stocky for AFL yet like most sporty 19yo he has no fat on him but his build is all wrong.

So that is the first thing, physique - is it AFL? If he also has the skill then the kid needs to be where he will be noticed - eg down south. In Darwin white kids dont get picked so he went south when he was 17 but his physique worked against him and someone finally had the courage to pull him aside and give him the hard news that he will never play AFL at the professional level. He has got over the disappointment and is now enjoying playing club AFL on the central coast of NSW.

He should have played Rugby/League but they dont do that in Darwin and he hates it with a passion. So much so that he said he was likely to burst into flames when I took him into my local Raiders club for dinner - I tried to kid him into wearing his AFL footy jersey, that he lives in, into the Raiders Club but he was too smart for that.

So based on this experience - if your kid has the physique and skill to possibly go forward to be a professional - place him where those skills can be best developed and where he will be noticed. But while family encouragement is really important he needs to listen to the professionals as to whether he has a chance.'

Good luck

Garry

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

My son was selected for Suns academy, though he never made squad selection.

I am very surprised that you have not been contacted by the AFL or the Suns to discuss procedures etc.

I thought all matters were handled and discussed by the coaching committee very well and my son's welfare appeared to be a genuine point throughout the programme.

Your son should have a representative at his school or one made available to you to discuss all matters pertaining to attending the academy.

My son had left school already and was not a minor when he attended but we were kept in the loop with everything.

The workload is gruelling for the boys and the drop out rate is automatic. Lots of hard fast interval work and mind games sort them out.

Consider diet or even discuss it with the co ordinators. Energy needs and recouperation is important.

I wish him well , it will be a tough road for a 14yo.

Thanks
Nobody has contacted us but he is in the Foster system so there is always confusion over who is responsible for what.
I intend to phone his school after the holidays to find out more about things.
He arrived home on school holidays this week & just mentioned in passing that he had to go to the Suns Academy every few weeks.
It took us half an hour of interrogation to find out much more than that. He said he just goes down, trains & plays Footy. Might be a bit more to it.

He is an excellent Rugby player, swimmer & athlete as well, but lives for AFL.
Strange coming from a mad NRL district.

Jonesfam

Originally Posted by 101RRS

My niece's boyfriend (now 19) is right into AFL and played it all his life where he lived in Darwin. If you look at top notch AFL players you will see they tend to be tall and lean where rugby players tend to be shorter, stockier and heavier - when both are in peak condition generally rugby guys are heavier - this is the problem this kid has - too short and stocky for AFL yet like most sporty 19yo he has no fat on him but his build is all wrong.

So that is the first thing, physique - is it AFL? If he also has the skill then the kid needs to be where he will be noticed - eg down south. In Darwin white kids dont get picked so he went south when he was 17 but his physique worked against him and someone finally had the courage to pull him aside and give him the hard news that he will never play AFL at the professional level. He has got over the disappointment and is now enjoying playing club AFL on the central coast of NSW.

He should have played Rugby/League but they dont do that in Darwin and he hates it with a passion. So much so that he said he was likely to burst into flames when I took him into my local Raiders club for dinner - I tried to kid him into wearing his AFL footy jersey, that he lives in, into the Raiders Club but he was too smart for that.

So based on this experience - if your kid has the physique and skill to possibly go forward to be a professional - place him where those skills can be best developed and where he will be noticed. But while family encouragement is really important he needs to listen to the professionals as to whether he has a chance.'

Good luck

Garry

Tallest afl player is 6'11, shortest 5'6, heaviest is 119kg, lightest 65kg. Size and physique doesn't matter, not having the skill set does.

Originally Posted by jonesfam

I need some advice from those that live in this great lands Southern regions.Unusual I know, Queenslanders usually know everything, North Queenslanders in particular & North West Queenslanders generally never ask advice. Anyway, one of our boys who goes to Boarding School near the East Coast is very good at Aussie Rules.Over the past 12 months he has been chosen for the NQ team & the QLD team, under 14/15's.He has now been selected for the Sun's Academy on the Gold Coast. They want him to go down there every 2 or 3 weeks to do whatever.SWMBO & I know very little about AFL, how their system works or if this is a good thing. I have Googled it but most of what is online is about older kids, 18 or so, not young boys like ours.We do know he loves Aussie Rules & wants to be a professional player some day. But, we are a bit worried that this sort of thing may tie him up with one team? Limit his options? I have also heard the AFL has a "Draft" we know going that far is awhile away but how does that work?Mainly we think this is great but want to make sure it is the best for him, his future & what he can achieve.We never pressure him, just tell him he is doing well but we think AFL could be a great opportunity for him? But we are already thinking when/does he need some sort of professional advice like a "Manager" or something.Any advice by those that know or understand AFL would be appreciated.BTW He is one of those annoying kids that is really good at all sports, really likable, well behaved and an all round nice kid.The sort you knew at school & didn't want to like but couldn't help yourself.Jonesfam

I grew up in the Wimmera, where there was footy and then everything else. Literally. Being in the Sun's academy won't tie him to them forever, or at all, if I understand the draft correctly. The Wikipedia entry on the draft, which is for unsigned 18 year olds, is worth having a read of. Having known quite a few people who went to the VFL/AFL I'd strongly suggest that your son have a back-up plan - like a Uni degree or a good trade - because the odds of success in the AFL, even for the really talented, aren't great. And injury can derail careers very quickly.

And, whilst they may be better now, back when I was young the system tended to be pretty brutal to the ones that didn't make it. Having said that, what they do, apparently, look for now is level headed kids, which it sounds like your son is. Traditionally, the best players at the local club or school got to be the full-forward and it was the star full-forwards who got picked in the rep teams - and then they had a team of full-forwards, with attitude problems and no-one who wanted to play in defence. So, these days the selectors are, apparently, a lot smarter and look for kids with good skills and good attitudes.

Funnily enough, having grown up playing Aussie Rules, when I went to boarding school I started playing rugby and, prior to destroying my knee, that was where I had the most success in sport ....