Sydney Uni young gun to play Port Adelaide

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Written by AFL Media team

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Picture L-R: NSW’s Caiden Cleary, Connor O’Sullivan and Lachie Cabor train in Adelaide ahead of their appearance for the Australian side which takes on Port Adelaide’s SANFL team in the Gather Round weekend. Credit:  Keryn Stevens

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A host of the country’s most talented draft-age footballers will represent Australia in a clash with Port Adelaide’s SANFL team at Adelaide Hills on Saturday, as part of the AFL’s Gather Round…A Festival of Footy.

The AFL Academy Boys are taking part in their second camp of the 2023 program in Adelaide this week, with Saturday’s match a feature of the program.

The match will be played as a curtain-closer to the Round 5 AFL game between the Brisbane Lions and North Melbourne at Adelaide Hills (Summit Sports and Recreation Park, Mount Barker), commencing at 4:00pm ACST.

The AFL Academy features a selection of the most talented male footballers across the country. All players were aged 17 as of January 1, 2023 and will be eligible in the 2023 AFL Draft.

Players in the AFL Academy participate in high performance and personal development programs throughout the 2023 season, with the Academy’s purpose to best prepare players for transition from talent pathways into elite football programs.

The 30-player squad includes a host of the most exciting prospects in this year’s draft pool, with all states and territories represented.

Among those who will represent Australia in Saturday’s game against Port Adelaide are Caiden Cleary (NSW/ACT), Orlando Turner (Northern Territory), Jed Walter (Queensland), Ashton Moir (South Australia), Colby McKercher (Tasmania), Harley Reid (Victoria Country), Nick Watson (Victoria Metro) and Daniel Curtin (Western Australia).

National Academy Manager, Tarkyn Lockyer, said: “It’s a great thrill to have the AFL Academy together in South Australia and experience the excitement of Gather Round.

“Those selected in the AFL Academy represent the future of the AFL and we are pleased to provide the opportunity for the players to represent Australia against Port Adelaide on Saturday.

“We are excited to see them put their talents on show in front of South Australian football fans.”

AFL Head of Talent Pathways, Grant Williams, said: “We acknowledge the support of the South Australian Government, Mount Barker District Council, Port Adelaide Football Club and the SANFL and thank them for providing the opportunity for the AFL Academy to take part in this exciting festival of footy.”

HOW TO WATCH: The match between the AFL Academy and Port Adelaide SANFL will be available to watch live and free on the AFL website.

Australia vs Port Adelaide
Adelaide Hills
Saturday, April 15 at 4:00pm ACST

TEAMS:

AUSTRALIA
 

#	NAME	SURNAME	STATE	STATE LEAGUE CLUB	COMMUNITY CLUB
1	Nick	Watson	VIC M	Eastern Ranges	East Ringwood
2	Jack	Callinan	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Clarence
3	Caiden	Cleary	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Sydney University
4	Jack	Delean	SA	South Adelaide	Reynella
5	Riley	Hardeman	WA	Swan Districts	Caversham
6	Colby	McKercher	TAS	Tasmania Devils	Launceston
7	Harley	Reid	VIC C	Bendigo Pioneers	Tongala
8	Archie	Roberts	VIC M	Sandringham Dragons	Hampton Rovers
9	Jake	Rogers	QLD	Gold Coast Suns Academy	Broadbeach
10	Ryley	Sanders	TAS	Sandringham Dragons	North Launceston
11	Orlando	Turner	NT	West Adelaide	South Alice Springs
12	Darcy	Wilson	VIC C	Murray Bushrangers	Wangaratta Rovers
17	Lachlan	Cabor	NSW/ACT	Sydney Swans Academy	Shellharbour
18	Nate	Caddy	VIC M	Northern Knights	Yarrambat
19	Zane	Duursma	VIC C	Gippsland Power	Foster
20	William	Lorenz	VIC M	Oakleigh Chargers	Boroondara Hawks
21	Kane	McAuliffe	SA	North Adelaide	Central Augusta
22	Ashton	Moir	SA	Glenelg	Plympton
23	Connor	O’Sullivan	NSW/ACT	Murray Bushrangers	Albury
24	William	Patton	SA	West Adelaide	Mitcham
25	Nathan	Philactides	VIC M	Oakleigh Chargers	Blackburn
26	Cooper	Simpson	VIC C	Dandenong Stingrays	Mount Martha
27	George	Stevens	VIC C	GWV Rebels	South Warrnambool
28	Koltyn	Tholstrup	WA	Subiaco	Newtown-Condingup
29	Daniel	Curtin	WA	Claremont	West Coast
30	Mitchell	Edwards	WA	Peel Thunder	South Mandurah
31	William	Green	VIC M	Northern Knights	Northcote
32	Ethan	Read	QLD	Gold Coast Suns Academy	Palm Beach Currumbin
33	Archer	Reid	VIC C	Gippsland Power	Inverloch-Kongwak
34	Jed	Walter	QLD	Gold Coast Suns Academy	Palm Beach Currumbin

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PORT ADELAIDE
 

#	NAME	SURNAME
3	Harper	Montgomery
8	Josh	Sinn
10	Will	Francou
16	Jake	Weidemann
24	Jake	Pasini
25	Sam	Hayes
27	Brynn	Teakle
30	Ollie	Lord
31	Francis	Evans
32	Tom	Scully
34	Lachlan	Jones
36	Jase	Burgoyne
37	Tom	McCallum
38	Dante	Visentini
39	Hugh	Jackson
45	Nathan	Barkla
46	Jed	Hagan
49	Oliver	Cheesman
50	Hugh	Ferrari
53	Jackson	Lee
54	Will	Ferrari
61	Charlie	McCarthur

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The AFL Academy Boys will take part in their third camp in Melbourne from May 11-14.

The AFL Academy Girls will come together in Melbourne next week for their second camp of the 2023 program, which will run from April 17-19. The third AFLW Academy camp will take place from June 15-18.