Private v public school: The best path to being recruited to the AFL
AFL champions Matthew Lloyd and Cameron Ling are working for school footy programs as competition heats up between Victoria’s top footy schoools. But which are the best — and do any guarantee AFL draft success?
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The private school system is playing an increasing role in the AFL pathway but it’s not a replacement for traditional pathways such as the NAB League.
There is a school of thought that attending a private school and prioritising school football over NAB League will boost a player’s chances of being drafted.
That’s not the case.
School football, whether it’s in Victoria’s Associated Public Schools (APS) or Associated Grammar Schools of Victoria (AGSV) competitions, is not a better standard than the NAB League and therefore form shown in these competitions isn’t the be all and end all.
The reality of school footy is every school has a handful, maybe 5-10 standout players, but after that the depth of talent drops away quickly.
That means these top players can dominate school matches and look like young champions because the calibre of opposition isn’t the strongest.
NAB League teams such as Calder Cannons, Dandenong Stingrays and Geelong Falcons have selected the best young footballers in the state to be part of their squads and if players show strong consistent form at the level, that’s when they’re going to be on the radar of AFL recruiters.
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That’s why NAB League is still the best underage football competition in Victoria.
Working as a recruiter at Hawthorn for over 10 years I was always very careful not to put too much weight on school footy.
In the role you can watch anywhere from a minimum of three games to up to 6-8 games per weekend across the country and if there was a clash between a NAB League game and a school game, I would attend the NAB League every time.
I also found that players who were decent performers in the NAB League but weren’t standouts looked a lot better at school level.
I put that down to the overall talent they were playing against in the school system and the fact there’s a lot more pressure around the contest in the NAB League.
Talent identification is about assessing players at the best possible standard.
That’s why I always based a lot of my judgments on watching them closely at the national championships and traditional pathways rather than school footy.
That’s not to say top footy schools such as Haileybury, St Kevin’s and Carey Grammar in Victoria, and equivalent schools in South Australia and Western Australia are not playing an integral role in the development of AFL players and future AFL stars.
You’ll find most players drafted in the top 20 in recent years have attended private schools but that’s not because the school football programs are superior to the programs and development available at NAB League clubs.
It’s because schools conduct their own recruiting and hand-pick the most talented players and offer scholarships.
These scholarships are a fantastic opportunity for players and families would be crazy to turn down an all-expenses paid education.
There’s more to life than football and getting the best education possible for your children is every parent’s goal.
But attending a private school doesn’t guarantee a path to the AFL and it definitely doesn’t guarantee players are going to develop into the next Dustin Martin, Gary Ablett or Nat Fyfe.
I’m not being critical of these programs.
In fact, the facilities and coaching within the programs is first class and helps develop and expose players to the type of professionalism and maturity required if they make it onto an AFL list. They have some critical advantages.
Haileybury’s program in particular, which boasts Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd as its senior coach this year after seven years as an assistant and senior assistant, has been very successful.
In recent years players including Ben and Max King, Andrew Brayshaw and Jack Scrimshaw have come out of that program.
“He basically runs the program and provides the strategic direction for the program as well,” Director of Haileybury Sport Sean Allcock said.
“He’s preparing them for APS football and for his season but also life after the APS season, which may include getting drafted or playing at a good local level.”
Geelong premiership captain Cameron Ling has also done a good job at Geelong Grammar as its director of football, where recent draftees include Paddy Dow and Jarrod Brander.
Carey Grammar has also been successful, with players including last year’s No.1 and No.2 draft picks Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson attending the school.
At Haileybury players have access to full-time physios, strength and conditioning specialists, GPS data, video analysis and stats. It’s a professional set-up very similar to a NAB League club.
But one of the biggest advantages of attending a private school and playing school football isn’t the talent players can show on the field, it’s the personal growth and maturity that occurs off it, which prepares them for whatever comes next.
“From a school perspective we’re able to manage their wellbeing at the coalface so when there is an issue whether it might be in the classroom or managing academics, we actually know whereas at the NAB League the coaches wouldn’t necessarily know what’s happening or has transpired throughout the day and because of that you can manage the wellbeing and the headspace,” Allcock said.
“A lot of the recruiters will ask how (a player) responded to the disappointment … and actually teaching that resilience. When you’ve got them for six hours (per day) you can focus on a lot more than just how to kick, how to gather a footy. You can talk about resilience and the expectations and the pride.
“Whereas at the NAB League a coach might have two hours a night that they’re got to use very well to ensure the game plan or the skills are implemented whereas we’ve got that opportunity to teach over five days, eight hours a day the variety and necessities of life. It’s not just about being able to kick a football, it’s being able to represent yourself.”
But not all of the game’s top players and draftees are private school products.
Darcy Parish, Isaac Quaynor, Jack Lukosius, Izak Rankine and Xavier Duursma are some of the recent top draftees who did not attend private schools.
Stars including Dustin Martin, Patrick Dangerfield, Max Gawn, Adam Treloar, Dyson Heppell, Shane Edwards, Nic Naitanui, James Sicily and Jamie Elliott also did not attend private schools.
Those who have come out of the APS system include Josh Kelly, Jordan De Goey, Andrew Gaff, Jack Macrae, Darcy Moore, Dylan Shiel, Zach Merrett and Charlie Curnow.
Marcus Bontempelli, Trent Cotchin, Luke Shuey, Dion Prestia, Todd Goldstein and Cameron Rayner are among the AGSV graduates.
While the school football system plays a role in the development of footballers both on and off the field, to say it’s producing most of the talented players is misleading.
There is still no substitute for the traditional pathways of competitions like the NAB League but all areas of the talent pathways are important and we need them all to play a role.
GARY BUCKENARA’S TOP FIVE FOOTBALL SCHOOLS IN VICTORIA
1. Haileybury
(players include Jack Gunston, Stef Martin, Angus Brayshaw, Tom Scully, Ben and Max King)
2. Carey Grammar
(Andrew Gaff, Jack Macrae, Darcy Moore, Jack Viney, Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson)
3. St Kevin’s
(Jordan De Goey, Lachie Hunter, Tim Taranto, Tom Liberatore, Brad and Chris Scott)
4. Caulfield Grammar
(Chris Judd, Brendon Goddard, Jack Ziebell, Dylan Shiel, David Astbury, Tom Phillips)
5. Xavier College
(Dan Hannebery, Robbie Tarrant, Josh P Kennedy, Jobe Watson, Luke Ball)
SCHOOLS IN THE APS COMPETITION
Brighton Grammar, Carey Grammar, Caulfield Grammar, Geelong College, Geelong Grammar, Haileybury, Melbourne Grammar, Scotch College, St. Kevin’s, Wesley College, Xavier College.
SCHOOLS IN THE AGSV COMPETITION
Assumption College, Camberwell Grammar, Ivanhoe Grammar, Marcellin College, Mentone Grammar School, Peninsula Grammar School, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS), Trinity Grammar, Yarra Valley Grammar.
NAB LEAGUE TEAMS
Bendigo Pioneers, Calder Cannons, Dandenong Stingrays, Eastern Ranges, Gippsland Power, Geelong Falcons, Greater Western Victoria Rebels, Murray Bushrangers, Northern Knights, Oakleigh Chargers, Sandringham Dragons, Tasmania Devils, Western Jets.
With Kate Salemme
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Originally published as Private v public school: The best path to being recruited to the AFL
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