Richmond's Northern Victoria Academy watch [merged]

[Diocletian]

Unfair to compare us to the Northern clubs who've had academies up and running  for over a decade, access to entire states and are not just limited to players with ethnic or indigenous backgrounds...and pretty sure we could've had Simpkin & Ratugolea in the first year of the academies I think but they didn't bring in the bidding system until the second year...and of course now with finally some decent prospects on the horizon , they've changed the rules again...

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Swans and GWS seem to know how to use academies to their advantage.
Footscray supposedly gets the next Potential Buddy Franklin.

……meanwhile at Richmond….

I think you should research how academies work, northern states at a massive advantage…

[one-eyed]

Article from 2 months ago but it mentions another one of our NGA boys Manny Laulu who will be available in the 2023 draft.


The Bushrangers’ under-16 outfit will be looking to keep the momentum going today.

The youngsters enjoyed a 13-point triumph over Bendigo Pioneers last week and will be hunting for back-to-back wins when they take on Gippsland Power.

Mooroopna’s Coby James and Shepparton Swans’ Manny Laulu shone in the win, while Shepparton United’s Joeve Cooper kicked a goal.



https://www.sheppnews.com.au/sport/2021/07/01/4577066/nab-league-bushrangers-bolstered-by-return-of-brown-and-rachele-under-16s-face-gippsland
https://pressreader.com/article/282213718804344

[one-eyed]

Ashtyn Atkinson & Kydan Atkinson have been named in the Murray Bushrangers U19 preseason squad for 2022.


https://www.facebook.com/murraybushiesfc/posts/547132679975959


It mentions here in a Shepparton News article from 2019 that both are our NGA players.
https://www.pressreader.com/australia/shepparton-news/20190925/282029033950873

[Diocletian]

AFL changed the rules so if they're any good we ain't gettin' 'em.....

[camboon]

Hasn’t been a gold mine for us, might have run dry years ago. How did we end up such an unfruitful hunting ground.

[one-eyed]

Richmond NGA product at home with Tigers' VFL program

Korin Gamadji Institute and Richmond Next Generation Academy alumni Ashtyn Atkinson says the Club's programming throughout his youth has helped him to feel equipped for the rigours of football in Melbourne.


Ashtyn Atkinson (left) with fellow KGI alumni Billy Cooper.

Ashtyn Atkinson knows exactly what he is getting into when he arrives at a Richmond VFL pre-season session, with the youngster not daunted by the tall task of training with an AFL-aligned team for the first time.

Punt Road Oval is a far cry from Atkinson’s home club, the Indigenous-led Rumbalara FC in Shepparton, but his experiences with Richmond’s Next Generation Academy and Korin Gamadji Institute as a youth are holding him in good stead to reach his football potential.

“I walk into the doors (at the Swinburne Centre), and it is a familiar environment; it means I am not walking into something that is unknown. I could literally walk upstairs at the Club, and I would know everyone,” Atkinson explained.

“Having that really helps. Melbourne is so different from Shepparton, but the NGA camps we (Indigenous and multicultural talented underaged footballers from within the Club’s region) do from 14-15 help make coming here so much easier.

“I’m in the deep end, but it is worth it, and I am enjoying my new job here and having a crack at making the VFL and living in Melbourne.”

Atkinson, an 18-year-old Yorta Yorta man, who played 11 games for the Murray Bushrangers in the NAB League across the last two seasons, gained prior exposure to the Club’s facilities and learned about high performance and standards since first being identified for the Academy back in 2018.

The wingman says the trips with Richmond to Melbourne also gave him an early grasp of what life in the city could look like.

“It is so different to Shepparton here, even the traffic and catching the trams. It is a bit to take in, but the camps definitely help,” he said.

“When you are a kid from the country, you only really see facilities like Punt Road when you drive past, so for Richmond to let us come in was something I thought was unreal.”

The NGA Program was also a stepping stone for a then 15-year-old Atkinson to attend the KGI’s Richmond Emerging Aboriginal Leadership (REAL) camp.

“The KGI Camp came about through my links with the NGA and was like the best week ever- I think we all grew so much in ways we did not even imagine,” he said.

“Just being around like-minded people from all over the state was something different. I only knew two people coming in, but after the end, I had made some real connections.

“Lots of players from ‘Rumba’ and Shepparton have gone through and done it now as well- I remember mum and dad had to convince me to do it, and I am so glad I gave it a chance, and I tell them all the same.”

Atkinson, already an outstanding Indigenous leader has found employment working for First Nations company Wanyara, travelling to schools and businesses teaching Indigenous culture through dance, arts, and games.

He will continue trying his luck for the Tigers VFL Program and is also set to align himself with a suburban Melbourne club, cementing his move.

Still just a budding young footballer, Atkinson has already taken huge steps as a young Indigenous man.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1254036/richmond-nga-product-at-home-with-tigers-vfl-program

[one-eyed]

https://www.pressreader.com/australia/kyabram-free-press/20180627/281917363812699

This kid is in our Academy Zone.

16   Zaydyn   Lockwood   VIC   Bendigo Pioneers   South Bendigo

He's today currently playing in the ruck for the AFL Multicultural Academy in the game against the AFL Indigenous Academy. He's kicked a goal.

Watch here: https://www.afl.com.au/news/871457/live-from-11am-aest-afl-indigenous-academy-v-afl-multicultural-academy

[one-eyed]

Richmond team during the 2023 AFL Next Generation Academy East Conference at Bellfield on April 19, 2023 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/AFL Photos)




https://www.aflphotos.com.au/galleries/results/?q=collection:AFL%202023%20Media%20-%20Next%20Generation%20Academy%20East%20Conference

[one-eyed]

NGA Boys Carnival day

Hear from our NGA boys as they competed in a Round Robin day of matches.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/video/1392865/nga-boys-carnival-day


ps. The HeraldSun today had this map showing our Academy zone (dark grey).

[Knighter]

I can’t believe we requests this region. It’s as barren as the Sahara

[Diocletian]

You need at least one metro zone or what's the point? Complete waste of time now under the new rules anyway. 

[Francois Jackson]

We requested this dud region? Surely not. Then again...

New rules Dio as in others can trade for them if they are a top pick?  Was that it as I can't recall as the commie bastards change their mind all the time.

[Diocletian]

JAMARRA Ugle-Hagan will be the last of his kind, with the AFL changing its Next Generation Academy rules to disallow clubs having access to top talents under the program.

As first revealed by AFL.com.au in August, the AFL will put into place a 'protected' zone for NGA players in the first 20 picks of the draft.



It means from 2021 Academy players, such as Ugle-Hagan with the Bulldogs and Lachie Jones for Port Adelaide this year, who attract bids in the first 20 picks will fall into the open pool with their NGA clubs not being able to match the bids.




Under the revised rules, players who attract bids in the 20-40 range will have to be matched under usual Academy rules while all players selected from pick No.41 onwards can be matched by their club using the next available selection.

The phase out of the NGA program will continue in 2022, with bids on nominated NGA prospects only able to be matched from pick 41 onwards.



The changes have come into place after an explosion of players, such as the potential No.1 pick Ugle-Hagan this year, joining clubs under the NGA rules in recent years, with Isaac Quaynor at Collingwood and Tarryn Thomas at North Melbourne other first-round selection under the Academies.

Clubs will be investing far less into the programs in coming years as a result of COVID-19s financial toll on the competition but the remaining links of the NGA rules allow for late prospects to still make their way onto an AFL lists through the assistance of the NGA scheme.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/523632/nga

[one-eyed]

From Tonga to Tigerland 🙌

A well-earned opportunity for Richmond NGA graduate Pala Kuma.

Watch here: https://twitter.com/RichmondVFL/status/1757944172265505031

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NGA's Pala Kuma earns VFL contract

Richmond Next Generation Academy graduate Pala Kuma has taken the next step in his football career, signing a contract with the Club's VFL side.

It's an exciting progression for the 19-year-old who grew up in Tonga, and the culmination of "years of hard work".

"I'm relieved and happy...I'm keen for the season," Kuma said.

"We were all sitting in the team meeting and I didn't have a clue what was going on... It was announced that a few boys had signed, and to my surprise, I was one of them.

Graduating through Richmond's NGA program, Pala Kuma last week was awarded a contract with Richmond VFL for the 2024 season.

"(My family) was so happy. I started playing footy in 2018 so they were so happy to see how far I've come and the hard work I've put in finally paying off."

The explosive shutdown defender, who has a rugby background, joined Richmond's NGA in 2018 when he moved to Australia as a 13-year-old.

From there, he spent time with the Tigers' VFL side and learnt from AFL mentors, while playing for the Robinvale-Euston Football Netball Club in the Sunraysia region.

Known for his tackle pressure and speed, Kuma played for the Bendigo Pioneers in the Coates Talent League last year, as he gave himself every chance of becoming a footballer.

He was a worthy recipient of the inaugural David Meade Scholarship from the Pioneers, which was awarded to a player who displayed consistency in preparation, competitiveness, diligence, relationships, and planning.

Fittingly, Kuma traveled with Richmond's AFL team to last week's Community Camp in Mildura, relishing the opportunity to head back to the region.

"I'm so happy to come back to where it all started and bring back some memories," he said.

"We flew down and did a few school visits in the area, I went to my old school and said hi.... a few Q&As with the kids and some Auskick."

Kuma is now one step closer to his ultimate goal, being signed onto an AFL list. As he works towards his dream, he hopes to inspire budding Pacific Islander footballers along the way.

"I know there's a lot of talented Pacific Islanders out there... Them seeing us in the system, hopefully that brings out their motivation to make it far in the sport of AFL," he said.

"Coming from Tonga, I think there would be a lot of kids who would be more motivated into going after a sports career.

"We don't get as much opportunity as in Australia, so to be drafted one day would be a massive outcome not only for me but for the islands as well."

Richmond's NGA program introduces the game of Australian Rules to boys and girls from 5-18 years of age who come from Indigenous and multicultural backgrounds where they may not have been exposed to the sport before.

https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1488987/ngas-pala-kuma-earns-vfl-contract