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BENDIGO Pioneers hopefuls were fitness tested to the limit at La Trobe University on Sunday.
About 240 players were put through their paces in the university’s gymnasium, all of them eager to impress ahead of the 2018 season.
Pioneers operations manager David Meade said a mix of 60 under-16s, 140 under 17-18s and 50 girls won invites to the testing.
“We got most of them here,” he said.
“They are the same as the AFL tests – a 0-20 metre sprint, the yo-yo recovery endurance test, which is similar to the old beep test, and a vertical leap test.
“There were some fantastic results. Looking at the numbers that have come through, we are above the average from the TAC Cup combine last year, which is very encouraging.
“We had a couple of standouts, like a 2.88 0-20m from Mildura’s Brady Rowles which is great and a 22.2 yo-yo and a vertical leap of 78cm by Kye Attwell at Koondrook-Barham.”
Others to shine included under-16s Cooper Smith (Sandhurst) with a 2.97 0-20m and 22.1 yo-yo and Maryborough’s Aiden Hare with a 76cm vertical leap, Donald under-17 Harry Cashin with a remarkable 22.2 yo-yo and Carly Isaac, who topped two of the three categories with a 58cm vertical leap and 19.3 yo-yo.
The Pioneers have about six weeks to trim its training squad to a final list of about 55 players.
Second year coach Rick Coburn could not have been more impressed with the endeavour and application on show at La Trobe University.
“You don’t have to worry too much with this age group, they are very motivated,” he said.
“At the elite pathway level, most of our boys are very professional in the way they go about it.”
Following on from an excellent 2017 draft for the Pioneers, with seven players making their way to AFL clubs, Coburn said there was a real buzz about the club this pre-season.
“It was great to have so many of the boys drafted, they really deserved everything they achieved,” he said.
“We also had a few others, who – while they didn’t get drafted – were playing quite a high level by the end of the year.
“We’re sure we have got some really good kids coming through again this year and we’ve got a really strong under-17 group, and they’ll have two years in the program.
“We have a really good environment at the moment.”
Among the hopefuls on Sunday, Flynn Perez was looking forward to the new season after his 2017 campaign with the Pioneers’ under-16s ended prematurely due to a broken foot.
“I’ll play under-18s at Sandhurst and depending on my form and if I am lucky enough I might step up to the Pioneers 18s,” he said.
“The testing has been very competitive – everyone’s very talented, which is bringing out the best in everyone.”
Sunday’s testing was complemented by an education session on nutrition.