The WA State Talent Academy has completed its second intake for the State 18s squad in preparation for the 2013 NAB AFL National 18s Championships in June and July.

The State Talent Academy will continue its training program in the lead up to the National Championships and conduct leadership, nutrition and education sessions to enhance the overall development of players.

WESTERN Australia’s State Under-15 Indigenous team made it a clean sweep for WA at the Kickstart National Championships in Queensland on the weekend with a third consecutive grand final victory.

After a loss to Victoria/Tasmania in wet conditions in the qualifying rounds, WA hit back to win the grand final on Saturday, April 13 by an impressive 32 points.

WA women received the chance to be part of the AFL High Performance Academy program in Melbourne recently.

U16 players Sabrina Traub (Peel Thunder), Ashley Sharpe (Swan Districts) and Kristen Jayasuria (Joondalup Falcons) were invited to join 17 other girls from across Australia to the live-in camp that included an intense week of physical activity and guest coaching sessions led by AFL clubs.

Indigenous youths from across the state will put their football talent on show at the 2013 Nicky Winmar Carnival.

This event features teams of under-15’s playing in a round-robin style event at Bendigo Bank Stadium in Mandurah on Sunday, March 3.

Coordinated by the West Australian Football Commission and sponsored by the Department of Sport and Recreation, the carnival provides an opportunity for talented young players to be identified by WAFL clubs and given the opportunity to further develop their skills.

The West Australian Football Commission has appointed experienced development coach John Hancock as the head coach of the State 16s Talent Academy for 2013.

The Level 3 Accredited coach has 16 years of experience coaching youth footballers and was State 18s Assistant Coach last year and an Assistant Coach for the State 16s in 2010 and 2011.

Hancock’s first official duty in his new role will commence on Saturday, February 2 when the State Academy hosts a WA Talent day at Joondalup.