AFL TALENT manager Kevin Sheehan is expecting records to be broken when some of the nation’s most promising young footballers gather in Canberra for the draft combine, which begins on September 28.

Athletic tests are a big part of the combine and more than 150 recruiters and coaches are expected to watch the 100 players strut their stuff.

South Australian Sam Day is sure to attract plenty of attention. The budding ruckman, who is regarded by AIS-AFL high performance coach Jason McCartney as a “freakish talent”, has already achieved some impressive feats.

When tested as part of the AFL-AIS program earlier in the year, Day recorded a vertical leap of 81cm. That’s 3cm better than the existing draft combine record, which was set by Nic Naitanui in 2008.

“Sam Day will be a top-10 choice in the draft, no doubt about it,” Sheehan said. “He’s got an incredible natural leap.”

When it comes to the agility test - a dash through a slalom-type course - and the 20m sprint, recruiters will be keeping a very close eye on Shaun Atley, who recently completed an impressive season with the Murray Bushrangers in the TAC Cup.

Atley grew up in the Victorian high country town of Corryong, and he will be trying to match the 20m sprint time of 2.83sec, which was set by Fremantle young-gun Stephen Hill in 2008.

Hill was also a stand-out in the agility test.

“It tests the ability of players to change direction and you can see by the way Hill plays he’s so good at that stuff,” Sheehan explained.

“Shaun Atley has got great ability to accelerate and the recruiters have seen that in the way he plays. He’ll be pretty quick in the sprint and the agility tests.”

The toughest challenge at the draft combine is undoubtedly the dreaded beep test, which is used to measure aerobic endurance.

Sydney Swans midfielder Jarrad McVeigh set the draft combine record of 15.6 back in 2002.

But this year the mark is expected to be challenged by Luke Parker, who has been a star with the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup.

A midfielder with good hands, Parker recorded a score of 15.0 in a beep test earlier this year.

“All the little things count at the combine,” Sheehan said. “Draftees are now tied to clubs for a minimum of two years, so the recruiters have to get their decisions right.

“The young lads have got to be organised and committed, then they have to perform well in their interviews. But it’s exciting for all the kids as well.”