The 2011 Gold Coast SUNS Talent Academy has finalised selections for the inaugural squads with players chosen already in training.
The squads were selected from in and around Northern NSW, the Gold Coast and the country region of the Gold Coast SUNS zone and have begun honing their skills under the guidance of expert coaching.
The Gold Coast SUNS Talent Academy is a multi-level coaching program for aspiring players aged between 11 and 18 years. It forms a key stage in the pathway from junior sport through to a possible career as an AFL player.
The Academy provides an amazing opportunity for aspiring AFL footballers to rub shoulders with senior players and learn from coaches such as Gold Coast SUNS senior coach Guy McKenna, the rest of the GC SUNS assistants and conditioning staff.
Gold Coast Academy Manager Andrew Johnston said it was great to see all levels of the Academy in action and particularly to have players involved from such a variety of junior AFL clubs, as well as athletes who have never played AFL.
“We have young players from more than 27 local clubs taking part. That just shows the great spread of potential AFL player breeding grounds coming up strong throughout the region,” said Johnston.
See the 2011 Gold Coast SUNS Talent Academy Squads and local club affiliation.
Future Stars
| First Name | Surname | Local Club |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell | Beasley | Future Stars |
| Carter | Bettles | Future Stars |
| Ryan | Carey | Future Stars |
| Ryan | Carmichael | Surfers Paradise |
| Tyler | Cooper | Pacific Pines |
| Jye | Dean | Future Stars |
| Kain | Duncan | Future Stars |
| Marley | Hanson | Future Stars |
| Jackson | Kelly | Future Stars |
| Jason | Lee | Future Stars |
| Jake | Lizoguboff | Future Stars |
| James | Luke | Future Stars |
| Christian | Maindonald | Future Stars |
| Jackson | Misuraca | Future Stars |
| Owen | O'Leary | Future Stars |
| Ben | Pickett | Future Stars |
| Mark | Reynolds | Future Stars |
| Jacob | Sands | Future Stars |
| Connor | Shrimpton | Future Stars |
| Noah | Smith | Future Stars |
| Brent | Woolf | Future Stars |
| Connor | Zarafa | Future Stars |
Level One
| First Name | Surname | Local Club |
|---|---|---|
| Joel | Baxter | Pacific Pines |
| Jack | Bowes | Cairns Hawks |
| Lachlan | Boyle | Future Stars |
| Regan | Bradford | Burleigh JAFC |
| Sam | Bristow | Surfers Paradise |
| Isaac | Byrne | Future Stars |
| Jack | Campbell | Townsville Bulldogs |
| Jackson | Collins | Burleigh |
| Jye | Davies | Southport |
| Alex | Dawson | Burleigh |
| Nathaniel | Ellis | Coomera JAFC |
| Brodie | Foster | Surfers Paradise |
| Harry | Grant | Rockhampton |
| Jordan | Harding | Surfers Paradise |
| Jordan | Harding | Future Stars |
| Ben | Hetzberg | Future Stars |
| Charlie | Howard | Broadbeach |
| Jack | Howlin | Burleigh |
| Sam | Italiano | Broadbeach |
| Jesse | Joyce | Tweed - Coolangatta JAFC |
| Emerson | Lemkau | Broadbeach |
| Mitchell | Madeley | Braodbeach |
| Domenic | McEwan | Mt Gravatt |
| Jye | Melverton | Burleigh |
| Stanley | Morris Jns | Mt Gravatt |
| Kusam | Nawia | Hermit Park Tigers |
| Harris | Newton | Surfers Paradise |
| Chevy | Palmer | Surfers Paradise |
| Ben | Presser | Southport |
| Ethan | Reeves | Braodbeach |
| Chandler | Rolfe | Cararra |
| Brandon | Schloithe | Cararra |
| Brandon | Scott | Palm Beach |
| Kurt | Skuse | Nth Rivers |
| Talin | Underwood | Future Stars |
| Dane | Watmuff | Labrador |
| Joshua | Williams | Townsville |
Level Two
| First Name | Surname | Local Club |
|---|---|---|
| Ryan | Agita | Townsville Tigers |
| Ethan | Alexander-Crackel | Labrador |
| Brad | Barnett | Whitsundays Eagles |
| Scott | Bear | TSS |
| Robert | Blood | Southport |
| Dylan | Chadwick | Glenmore |
| Brendon | Chadwick | Glenmore |
| Troy | Clarke | Surfers Paradise |
| Jessiha | Clyden | Shalom Taipans |
| John | Cubahiro | Crestmead |
| Ralph | Daniel | Pyramid Power |
| Hamish | Davidson | Rockhampton |
| Aaron | Eilola | Gladstone |
| Josh | Evans | Townsville Tigers |
| James | Farley-Smith | Cairns Hawks |
| Joel | Foster | Surfers Paradise |
| Ryan | Gooding | Whitsundays Eagles |
| Luke | Gore | Surfers Paradise |
| Cassidy | Haberfield | Surfers Paradise |
| Guage | Hill | Whitsundays Eagles |
| James | Holland | Broadbeach |
| Jack | Howard | Braodbeach |
| Jeff | Hudson | Cairns Hawks |
| Matthew | Hull | Panthers |
| Jake | Jackson | Hermet Park Tigers |
| Ryan | Jepson | Rockhampton |
| Richard | Kerr | Burleigh |
| Jarryd | Kleesens | Palm Beach |
| Mitchell | Kock | Sth Cairns |
| Harry | Kryska | Future Stars |
| Izaac | Lathouras | Broadbeach |
| Kieran | LeJune | Southport |
| Jacob | Lowe | Whitsundays Eagles |
| Jalen | Manamaluega | Future Stars |
| Max | Manners | Whitsundays Eagles |
| Henry | Mareko | Pyramid Power |
| Michael | Martinez-Pastras | Labrador |
| James | McNamara | Surfers Paradise |
| Steven | Mills | Panthers |
| Alex | Newsham | Townsville Bulldogs |
| Mark | Newton | Labrador |
| Zengrey | Nona | Pyramid Powers |
| Bill | O'Donnell | Broadbeach |
| Adam | Paynting | Nth Cairns |
| Damien | Ralls | Surfers Paradise |
| Robert | Reents | Whitsundays Eagles |
| James | Royes | Yeppon |
| Jackson | Semmons | Thuringowa Bulldogs |
| Andrew | Siekai | Southport |
| Zane | Smith | Southport |
| Josh | Spencer | Palm Beach |
| James | Stagg | Burleigh |
| Troy | Sutherland | Braodbeach |
| Jayden | Te Autonga | Future Stars |
| Jonathon | Tomsana | Abergowrie College |
| Darren | Tuck | Future Stars |
| Joe | Ward | Ballina |
| Angus | Watts | Labrador |
| Jack | Williams | Rockhampton |
| Shaun | Wilson | Palm Beach |
| Riley | Young | Hermit Park Tigers |