NT Centralian Senior College visit the Burgers!
At our training session last Friday the Coburg Football Club were delighted to have a visit from the Clontarf Academy at Centralian Senior College, based in the remote Northern Territory town of Alice Springs.
Having come down for a training camp in Melbourne, Coburg General Manager Craig Lees gave the academy boys an invite to partake in last Friday nights training session at Oak Park. They were brought down by Clontarf’s Operation Officer and Coach, Darren Talbot.
Prior to Friday’s session, the group had participated in activities with the Melbourne Football Club and had toured the Melbourne Cricket Ground’s facilities, as well as many other sites around the City of Melbourne. Darren described the experiences attained during the week as “fantastic.”
The three members of the academy that trained with Coburg were Kane Sevallos, Ethan Liddle, and Brandon “Froggy” Watts. Darren gave his spiel on the three of them:
Kane: “has a bit of x-factor about him, quick, smart, still got a little bit to learn”
Ethan: “great with the ball, hands and feet, very good and quick”
Froggy: “just a little bit of a learner coming out now seeing what it’s like out there, getting a little bit of a taste.”
Through club general manager Craig Lees, Coburg Football Club were more than happy to have had the three train with the club on Friday night. Craig had known Darren from his stint with the Melbourne Football Club, with Craig being closely involved over a number of years with former Melbourne player Liam Jurrah, a nephew of Darren.
While the three did find the session tough throughout the night, Darren said that it was actually similar to what the academy boys do while in Alice Springs, and it was good to see the boys give it a crack.
Of the three boys, Darren said that Kane and Ethan were the most likely of the three to kick on to state league. Lees said it would be great to develop this relationship with Clontarf academies and provide a pathway from Central Australia to the VFL.”
Darren also said that the trip was not only just an eye opener for the members of the academy, but also for himself. Darren claimed that the traffic was a challenge. “You get lost in one bit and you’ve got to find your way back so it takes about another twenty-five k’s.”
The Coburg Football Club were more than pleased to have been accompanied by these three members of the Clontarf Academy, and the club intends to provide a pathway to young central Australian hopefuls in the next 1-3 years.
Coburg will hopefully announce a signing from Alice Springs in the New Year, after the Northern Territory Football League season comes to a close.
