Academy hopefuls tried their luck at marking, kicking, agility and coordination drills under the guidance of Swans Academy assessors including Paul Roos, Marty Mattner, Mark McVeigh and Nick Davis.
Swans Academy Talent ID and Operations Manager Chris Smith said up to 25 athletes from each age group would be invited to join the Swans Academy in 2014 following yesterday’s trials.
“We’ve got roughly 350 boys trying to get into next year’s Academy, so it’s a very competitive environment and the boys are doing a variety of activities and we’re seeing which ones out of these boys really want to make it,” he said.
“We’ll be roughly taking 20-to-25 boys out of each age group, so roughly one in six makes it through to the Academy next year.”
The athletes were separated into groups for the Assessment Day and were rotated across seven different stations which included short game simulations, kicking, and contested marking drills, as well as agility programs such as skipping and hurdle jumping.
Smith said the Academy assessors were looking for a variety of attributes in athletes in this year’s assessment trials, including hand-eye coordination, as well as enthusiasm and a positive attitude.
“It’s a bit of an attitude thing first and foremost,” he said.
“We’re looking for kids who have a great attitude and kids who are competitive and enthusiastic, and that’s the first criteria.
“The next thing we look for is hand-eye coordination and you need a good level of coordination as well as balance and speed.
“The skill acquisition stuff is something we can develop later on once they’re in the Academy, but definitely just some basic coordination is what we’re looking for early on.”
Wednesday’s session was the first of two full assessment days held by the Academy, with Smith and his coaches pleased with the amount of talent on show.
“There were some boys who stood out just with their attitude and the way they go about their business and their attack on what they’re trying to do,” he said.
“They are very enthusiastic and they just stand out, so there certainly was some talent out there today.”
Mark McVeigh gives instructions at Wednesday's QBE Sydney Swans Academy Assessment Day
