FUTURE PROOF
RISING Suns star Connor Budarick has hailed the rapid bonding of his young side which delivered the inaugural NAB AFL Academy Series.
The future of Gold Coast footy looks bright after the academy line-up on Sunday collected their title in front of almost 16,000 people at Metricon Stadium.
Coach Andrew Raines and his players were presented with their winners’ medallions and the trophy.
“(It was a) sensational effort from all the boys, we played a really good brand of football throughout the series and the players really bought into what we were hoping to deliver for the program,” the former AFL player said.
“To win the academy series is a great achievement and its nice for all involved in our program to get a bit of acknowledgment.
“All 44 players involved in the program had great support from their parents throughout and we thanked them in a private awards ceremony earlier on Sunday afternoon.”
Averaging 24.4 disposals and nine tackles across the five games, academy captain Budarick said it was a credit to the hard work both staff and players had put in.
“So many people across the playing group, coaches and support staff have put in a huge amount of effort throughout the academy program this year and it’s great to have a bit of success,” Budarick said.
“At the start of the year we came together as a relatively new group and throughout the academy series we all came together and gelled really well and were pretty successful as a team.”
The series was played between the four northern academies within the newly introduced NAB League, as well as Northern Territory and Tasmania.
Gold Coast overcame Sydney on percentage as they claimed their first series win with a 4-1 record.