The event will showcase 120 of the country’s best young footballers as they get put through their paces in a wide range testing that will measure athletic attributes such as speed, agility and endurance, along with refined drills to assess football skills.
The Brisbane Lions - represented by Senior Coach Michael Voss, General Manager of Football Operations Dean Warren, National Talent Manager Rob Kerr, National Recruiting Manager Graeme Hadley, Physical Performance Manager Brett Burton and a host of other football staff - will be on hand to critically analyse the performances of their potential new recruits.
With just six weeks remaining before the 2011 NAB AFL National Draft, the Combine presents one last chance for some of these young prospects to impress the 18 AFL clubs.
Lions National Talent Manager Rob Kerr said the process goes a long way to helping determine the Club’s direction at the upcoming Draft.
“The Draft Combine basically gives us a chance to get an insight into the athleticism and overall physical performance of some of the potential draftees,” Kerr said.
“We believe it will help us get a gauge on their potential to play AFL.”
“We should have all bases covered with our recruiters, physios, coaching staff, development staff, doctors and trainers all heavily involved in the week.”
The Combine will be hosted for the first time at Etihad Stadium, which is conveniently also the home of the Lions’ Melbourne Office.
AFL National Talent Manager Kevin Sheehan said the Draft Combine will have a new look at Etihad Stadium this year.
“To provide a professional testing environment, a custom-made hardwood high performance floor will be laid on the Etihad Stadium surface to allow for accurate comparisons from year to year,” Sheehan said.
“We will be testing more players than ever before to give AFL clubs the best possible bank of information in the lead-up to the Draft.”
