AFL NAB League: 30th anniversary of most successful feeder competition

Regional under-18s footy has long been the best provider of AFL talent. See who the first bosses select as the best players they had drafted to the big league.

David Johnston

3 min read

July 25, 2022 - 2:15PM

The Weekly Times

The statewide under-18s NAB League has become a production line for AFL champions since being formed three decades ago.

But two of the driving forces behind setting up country-based teams had to overcome initial fierce hostility from clubs reluctant to hand over their best up and coming talent to the new competition.

The NAB League is marking the 30th anniversary of its creation this year with clubs in the North East, Ballarat, Bendigo and Gippsland introduced in its second year.

Tony Frawley and John Byrne were inaugural managers of the Ballarat Rebels and Murray Bushrangers respectively and served in the roles for more than a decade.

Tony Frawley was inaugural manager of Ballarat Rebels before becoming general manager of the NTFL. Picture: Peter Bennett

They vividly remember the hard yards taken in the formative years.

“The country clubs hated it because we took their best players,” Frawley said.

“We were fighting with them all the time.

“We would pick a team on Thursday night and I’d get a call from the Minyip coach saying ‘you can’t play whoever because I’ve picked him at centre half-forward as well’.

“But players started getting drafted and away it went.”

Sydney champion Adam Goodes was drafted after playing for the Ballarat Rebels. Picture: Phil Hillyard

The Rebels were the first country team to win an under-18s flag in 1997 with two-time Sydney premiership player and dual Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes kicking six goals in a best-on-ground display.

Byrne met similar resistance in the North East and Goulburn Valley and said change was never easy.

Former Murray Bushrangers regional manager at his Dockers Plain farm near Wangaratta. Picture: Yuri Kouzmin

“People just didn’t understand what the quality of football on offer was like and to be honest none of us did early on,” he said.

“Things were changing with the structure of footy everywhere.

“People don’t like change, but there have been plenty of Ovens and Murray flags won by teams with plenty of ex-Bushrangers kids in them.”

Triple Brisbane premiership star Nigel Lappin bypassed the Bushrangers in 1993 and was still drafted.

Fraser Gehrig was drafted in 1993 after playing for the Murray Bushrangers.

But two-time Coleman medallist Fraser Gehrig, who was also drafted in 1993, played for the Bushrangers and was their first success story.

“He had played in the Teal Cup as a bottom-ager the year before with a lot of the Geelong kids who were already in the under-18s,” Byrne said.

“He led the way for us.”

The under-18s were created to replace the old under-19s that had ended when the VFL became a national competition.

Frawley said football was also facing stiff competition from basketball for the best young talent at the time.

“Kids from Ballarat were going down to St Kilda, weren’t making it and never came back,” he said.

“Basketball was a real threat and footy had to lift its game to attract the best players.”

Paul Armstrong was manager of the Geelong Falcons before later working for AFL clubs Geelong and Richmond.

Geelong Falcons started up in the inaugural year and its manager Paul Armstrong said it would be tough to name a “better feeder competition for AFL players”.

“There have been some absolute superstars of the game, Luke Hodge, Gary Ablett Junior, Adam Goodes, come from the under-18s competition,” he said.

“We can look back and say we played a small part in establishing what has become the best feeder ground in AFL history.”