Hundreds of children proudly donning their red and white gear turned out for the clinic at C.ex Coffs International Stadium.
There was plenty of excitement as Swans forward Kurt Tippett introduced the players to the very eager crowd, who were then separated into their respective age groups and moved off to different stations.
The tackle station, headed by Tippett, Tom Mitchell, Shane Biggs and Toby Nankervis, was a fan favourite, while Lewis Jetta’s handball station at the far end of the field also caught the local kids’ attention.
Second-year player Brandon Jack, who worked alongside new recruit Tom Derickx, Jordan Lockyer and rookies Lloyd Perris and Dan Robinson at the kicking station, said it was clear that interest in the Swans, and AFL in general, had grown over the last 12 months.
“It was a pretty good day,” Jack told SwansTV.
“I was here last year as well and the numbers have grown, which is something we really want to see, and if we keep increasing those numbers every year then we’ll have a really strong base up here in Coffs.
“There is a good vibe at the moment around AFL in Sydney and in New South Wales, so if we can keep growing then maybe we can see more AFL players from this area, which will be great.”
Jack, who offered plenty of words of encouragement to budding young players at the clinic, said it was great to meet so many local kids with AFL know-how.
“I was in charge of the kicking station and some of the kids were really good kicks, which was nice to see,” Jack said.
“There was also some tackling going on and some goal kicking, handballing and marking, so all the basic skills they need to play AFL footy.
“We were really impressed with what we saw out there today and hopefully they’ll keep it up even after we leave.”
While there were a number of participants in Swans guernseys at Thursday’s session, Jack said he hoped the super clinic would inspire those in rival colours to make the switch to the Swans this year.
“If you can get a kid wearing any AFL jersey then that’s great, but we want them wearing Swans colours,” he said.
