With players and officials flying in from all over the country to the nation's capital, it was no surprise to the see the bulk of the mid-morning flights from Melbourne to Canberra filled with officials, players, media representatives and of course club staff. The Pies, Cats, Hawks and Tigers all had key football staff on board, including respective recruiting managers.
Veteran recruits arrive in camp
There were two slightly older recruits on hand at the first day of the camp – Michael O'Loughlin and Matthew Lloyd. The two recently retired AFL champs have bobbed up in the nation's capital in their new roles: O'Loughlin in his role with the AFL indigenous program, as well as the high performance and talent programs; Lloyd is now an AIS-AFL Academy mentor assistant coach.
Finals take precedence
Six South Australians invited to this year's camp will not make it up to Canberra due to grand finals in the SANFL this weekend. The unavailable players include Jack Trengove (a highly touted prospect some believe could be the No.1 pick), Alex Carey, Byron Sumner, Derek Wanganeen and Josh Giddings.
Already scouting
Don't for a minute think the new franchises are resting on their laurels. Gold Coast had coach Guy McKenna, football manager Marcus Ashcroft, list manager Scott Clayton, recruiting manager Dom Ambrogio and high performance manager Andrew Weller all in attendance early on the first day, arriving well before several other clubs. Gold Coast will be active in this year's NAB AFL Rookie Draft.
… And sizing up the likes of
Jack Hutchins (Sandringham Dragons), Luke Mitchell (Calder Cannons), Viv Michie (Oakleigh Chargers), Taylor Hine (Calder Cannons), Blayne Wilson (Peel Thunder), Tom Nicholls (Sandringham Dragons) and Piers Flanagan (Geelong Falcons), who are all at the camp and in contention to be claimed by Gold Coast. The seven 17-year-olds were all born in 1992 and can only be claimed by the 17th AFL club – at this point.
No rest for the premiers
Spare a thought for Geelong recruiting manager Stephen Wells and his recruiters Luke Williams and Michael McMahon. Ultimately, the trio is up in Canberra to achieve results such as those gained last weekend, but despite having overseen the recruitment of the entire Geelong list, Wells certainly can't be accused of partying too hard. In fact, Wells, Williams and McMahon were eagerly interviewing – and looking spritely – on day one.
The AIS food again lives up to its reputation
It's built up a pretty fair reputation over the years and once again the food provided by the AIS was a hit with the lads. Not surprisingly, carbs are on the menu, with pasta and breads among the offering. Beef, chicken, vegetables and a salad bar are also options. Vanilla ice-cream in waffle cones also proved a hit.
Aren't you a little old for the draft camp?
"Old footballers never retire, they just return to draft camp." The AFL's coaches conference is being held in conjunction with the draft camp, meaning Nathan Buckley, Brett Montgomery, Adam Simpson, Martin Pike and Shannon Grant can all be seen around the traps.
Players ready for action
With Wednesday, Thursday and Friday the 'action' days at the camp, players undertook their medicals and fitness assessments on the first day. Heights, weights, skinfolds, arm lengths, handspans and visual screenings were among the activities. Players also got their first taste of club interviews, but that will no doubt hot up with many of the coaches expected to arrive in time for the physical testing on Wednesday.
And the No.1 talk is still all for … Tom Scully (Dandenong Stingrays)
But there are plenty who are suggesting that Jack Trengove (Sturt) could easily take that mantle, based on his exceptional senior SANFL finals performance last weekend. Still, the names John Butcher (Gippsland Power), Ben Cunnington (Geelong Falcons), Dustin Martin (Bendigo Pioneers), Anthony Morabito (Peel Thunder), and Gary Rohan (Geelong Falcons) are still right up there in the top echelon.
