Northlanders take first step in AFL

Aussie Rules and Northland are words that would rarely have combined in sentences before.

However, times are changing thanks to a bunch of talented Northlanders.

A group of 10 talented Northland athletes were invited to attend the New Zealand Hawks Australian Football League (NZ Hawks AFL) National Combine in Wellington.

The National Combine involved 40 participants from Northland, Auckland, Wellington and Canterbury - many of whom will likely go on to represent New Zealand at various age grade levels later in the year where they will be meeting teams from Australia, Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific.

Also present were recruitment representatives from several AFL clubs hoping to snap up a talented young player who can be groomed into a superstar of the game.

Currently there are opportunities to gain scholarships which can lead to an AFL career.

Northlanders Seth Going, Te Rei Clark, Chazz Palmer, Stormy Reti, Rewi Clark, Shane Witehira, Jesse Chapman, Alex Barnsley, Te Kopa Tipene, and Penekaha Takimoana were selected after going through fitness and agility tests, conducted in Whangarei late last year with the assistance of NorthTec's Sports and Recreation students at Tikipunga High School, Kamo High School and Whangarei Boys' High School.

The top athletes from the testing were then invited to a Regional Combine at Kensington's ASB Stadium. A two-day high performance camp was then held just before Christmas where the best performers from the Combines joined individuals from the Far North who had also been noted as promising by selector Mick Coultard. Coultard is also the AFL New Zealand secondary schools and talent identification officer.

From this camp, a group was then selected to attend the National Combine in Wellington.