SANFL has announced its intake for the 2021 SANFL Torrens University State Talent Hub – part of the new AFL Talent Pathway program – and a few local faces made the cut.
Central District Football Club under 18s Cody Gilchrist (South Gawler and Trinity College), Luca Whitelum (Tanunda), Shay Linke (Tanunda) and Austin McDonald (Barossa District) will be part of the 50-player academy, which Bulldogs development manager Scott Stevens called a great opportunity.
“The goal (of the State Talent Hub) is to expose our most talented players who are turning 17 and 18 next year to an elite high performance program,” he said.
“It will focus on a combination of on-field and off-field individual development and growth.
“This program was previously a national program where a smaller number of players from each state came together at times throughout the year – usually in Melbourne – but now that the program is state-based it gives more players an opportunity to be involved.”
SANFL under 18s state coach and academy manager Tony Bamford will lead the Talent Hub’s coaching panel, assisted by SANFL head of talent Brenton Phillips, Chris Smelt, Ben Kane, Ben Nelson and Jack Hannath.
The new talent program provides SA under-17s and under-19s state coaches and selectors an opportunity to assess the next crop of talent in South Australia ahead of next year’s AFL National Championships.
Speaking on SANFL Radio, Bamford said there will be two camps held at Thebarton Oval over the summer, with on this month, and during school holidays in January.