Eastern Ranges duo Cody Hirst and Xavier Fry earn invites to AFL state combine

EASTERN Ranges duo Cody Hirst and Xavier Fry remain on the AFL draft radar after earning an invite to October’s state combine.

LILYDALE junior Cody Hirst has overcome a horror year of injuries to be one of two Eastern Ranges players invited to the AFL state combine.

Hirst’s year has been hampered by shoulder and knee injuries, managing just four TAC Cup games after an eye-catching 2017 that had him on recruiters’ radar.

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The 18-year-old will be joined at the combine by Vermont junior Xavier Fry, who made two appearances for Vic Metro at the under-18 national championships in June.

Eastern Ranges talent manager Sean Toohey said Hirst, who was in Vic Metro’s initial squad for the championships, remained on the AFL draft radar despite his injury setbacks.

“I think it’s a real credit to Cody on how well he went last year and obviously that (combine) selection is based on his 2017 form because we really haven’t been able to gauge him from this year,” he said.

“That’s probably a credit to him and the way he went about things last year and while he was in the Vic Metro program, rehabing his shoulder and kept his fitness up.

“All those little things obviously get seen and it’s another opportunity for him to get seen again.”

Toohey said Fry’s athletic traits would appeal to AFL clubs, showing glimpses of his run and carry style.

“He’s got those attributes and those moments that are real attractive to the eye so it’s just a matter of showing that sort of play throughout a game but he is slowly getting better at that,” Toohey said.

“He really is that 70, 80m type player where he can break the lines with ball in hand and penetrate with his kicking.

“He should test really well, he’s quite athletically gifted, he’s very fast off the mark and got some real explosiveness about him.”

Toohey said AFL interest had fluctuated in the pair across the season.

“There’s been varying levels of interest, mostly at the start of the year when I was talking to clubs more regularly,” Toohey said.

“I’ve only just started having chats with clubs again but definitely at the start of the year those two were high up on our list of players that clubs had interest in.”

The state combine will be held on October 5 at Etihad Stadium.