Players from the Calder Cannons are among those who took part in a training camp in preparation for the 2023 AFL under-18 national championships.
The camp, which was held at the Hangar in Tullamarine across the weekend featured a host of talented 16 and 17-year-old boys and girls who feature as part of the Victoria Metro regions that compete in the NAB League.
The girls squad participated in the training camp across Friday and Saturday, while a camp for the boys squad runs on Saturday and Sunday.
Six players in the 2023 NAB AFLW Academy have been named in the girls’ squad, including the Cannons’ Amy Gaylor and Jets’ duo Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner and Kiera Whiley.
AFL Academy representatives including the Knights’ Nate Caddy have been named in the boys squad, along with the Calder Cannons’ Mahmoud Taha, who is a member of the Bachar Houli Academy.
Cannons’ Jordan Croft, who is the son of former Western Bulldogs player Matthew Croft, who played 186 games for the Bulldogs, is in the squad.
Jets’ Logan Morris, who plays with Werribee Districts, and Tamara Henry, who is from Darley, Knights’ William Green and Ava Jordan and the Cannons’ Kyla Forbes also took part in the camps.
All players attending this weekend’s training hub were to be given an induction into high-performance and wellbeing programs
The introductory camp will be followed by another training camp early in 2023, with the boys squad to reconvene in January and the girls squad to come together again in February.
Additional players will be added to both squads in preparation for trial matches ahead of the national championships.
Northern Knights girls coach Allana Dickie has been appointed coach of the Victoria Metro girls team, while Jason Davenport will continue as coach of the boys’ team.
