WA trio feature in AFL Academy clash

WA trio Koby LeCras, Benji van Rooyen and Garrison Kenh featured in the Australian Under-18s’ clash against North Melbourne VFL at Arden St Oval as part of a week-long AFL Academy camp in Melbourne.

West Perth forward LeCras was the pick of the bunch, finishing with 10 disposals, three marks, three inside 50s and a brilliant long-range goal in the loss to the experienced Kangaroos outfit.

East Perth speedster Kenh had some nice moments on the outside, while Claremont tall van Rooyen played predominantly as a deep forward.

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Tigers midfielder Heath Mellody is also with the AFL Academy in Melbourne but didn’t play in their opening game due to a minor hamstring issue.

Mellody is expected to return for the AFL Academy’s second and final game against Richmond VFL at IKON Park on Saturday morning.

Players will have access to AFL club facilities throughout the camp, with training and recovery sessions to be held at Arden Street Oval (North Melbourne), Kennedy Community Centre (Hawthorn), KGM Centre (Collingwood) and NEC Hangar (Essendon).

“Having the opportunity to put on the Australia jumper and represent the Australia U18 team is a huge honour for our emerging stars and always the highlight of the Marsh AFL National Academy program,” Marsh AFL National Academy Manager Tarkyn Lockyer said.

“One of the aims of the National Academy is to provide new experiences to our up-and-coming stars outside of what is already delivered at their state talent program to best prepare players for the next step in their football journey.

“We’ve changed the program this year to include two matches in one week, which will allowing players to experience a full match week in a high-performance environment.”

Both matches will be available to stream live and free on the AFL website and AFL Live Official App, with the Tigers clash to kick off at 10.30am WST.