Nasiah Wanganeen, nephew of Brownlow Medallist Gavin Wanganeen in 2021 SANFL talent squad
The nephew of an AFL Brownlow Medallist is among the next crop of talented SA footballers ahead of the 2021 draft. See the full list here.
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His dad spent two seasons at St Kilda, while his uncle is an AFL premiership player with Port Adelaide and Brownlow Medallist with Essendon.
Nasiah Wanganeen has talent running through his veins, with dad Terry Milera and uncle Gavin Wanganeen by his side.
And the rising star – one of 30 players selected in the 2021 SANFL under-18 State Talent Hub – is using his family links to help give himself the best chance of being drafted next year.
“Dad played a bit of AFL and league footy so he’s taken me for more sessions and helped me a fair bit,” Wanganeen said.
“He tells me what it takes to become an AFL player and helps me with all the technical stuff that goes on in footy and the hard work that needs to be put in to get there.
“Mum’s brother is Gavin, so he’s my uncle.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE FULL STATE TALENT HUB LIST
“I’m real close with his (Gavin’s) son, Tex, and whenever I catch up with Tex and see uncle Gavin, he gives us tips on what it takes.”
The 17-year-old midfielder’s silky skills were on show when he lined up with team Grundy in the SA All-Stars game in October.
During that game, he showed speed, almost took the mark of the night in the second quarter and soccered a close-range goal in the last term.
Wanganeen, who this year featured in Glenelg’s under-18 side, had also been part of Port Adelaide’s Aboriginal Academy and the Crows’ Next Generation Academy.
He said being surrounded by professional players for the past few years had also helped fast track his development.
“It was a goal of mine to make the talent hub squad, so I trained harder than I normally did, and trained on more days to improve my fitness and skills,” Wanganeen, a Seaview High School student, said.
“Playing in the under-18s was a big jump from playing in the under-16s as I was playing alongside and against blokes who were aiming to be drafted this year.
“But I learnt a lot.
“Being in the academies has been a good experience and it’s been great to be surrounded by professionals, past and present players, who have passed down a bit of their knowledge to me”
The SANFL announced the players selected for the state under-18 and under-17 talent hubs earlier this month.
The academy is aimed at giving the state’s most talented youngsters a chance to participate in an elite high-performance program, which kicked off this week with a four-day training camp at Thebarton Oval.
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