Under-18 'all-star' match set for grand final week
By Jake Niall
July 14, 2004
The AFL will give fans more football in grand final week this year, with the introduction of an under-18 match between Victoria and an "all-star" team from the developing states, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.
The match, to be played on the Thursday before this year's grand final at Optus Oval, will showcase the nation's elite youngsters from six states and territories and give the AFL clubs a final opportunity to take a close look at prospective draftees prior to the national draft.
While the match will take place two days before the grand final in 2004, should it succeed this year, there is a push for the Victoria v All-Stars game to be played on grand final day as a curtain-raiser, along with the TAC Cup, as early as 2005.
As it stands, the under-18 grand final is the only curtain-raiser on grand final day.
The Big V will be worn by a team composed of both metropolitan and country under-18 players, drawing mostly on players whose teams are out of the TAC Cup finals - players from the grand final clubs obviously would not be available for selection.
As AFL development manager Kevin Sheehan confirmed yesterday, the match was devised primarily as a means to allow players from the developing states - plus the Northern Territory and Tasmania - a chance to showcase their skills alongside the best Victorian players and enhance their draft prospects.
The match would feature many of the players who are invited to the draft camp in October, prior to the trading period, and would thus assist clubs in formulating their trading strategies as well.
Sheehan said the match would also add a dimension to grand final week.
"We think it's fantastic to bring these kids and let them share the atmosphere of grand final week," he said.
The match, which has been strongly backed by AFL clubs and their recruiting departments, was first suggested by Mark Browning, the former Sydney player who runs junior development programs in Queensland, including a program that recruits promising athletes from other sports, such as rugby and soccer.
Sheehan pointed out that the match would assist AFL clubs in assessing players from the developing states alongside the elite Victorians. During the national under-18 championships, Tasmania, Queensland, NSW-ACT and the Northern Territory play in division two and do not play against the traditional powerhouse states - Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia.
For instance, the highly rated young NT player, Richard Tambling - touted as an early draft choice - would be given an opportunity to play against many of the better Victorians.
The match is logistically viable because the grand finals in all the states involved are finished by preliminary final weekend.
Sheehan said it was also possible that the concept might eventually be extended to include SA and WA players, via an "east versus west" game.
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