AFL Queensland in conjunction with the Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast SUNS talent academies held a Combine Event on Sunday 14 November in the Northern Growth Corridor at Saint Stephens College with 20 talented athletes to see if they have what it takes to play AFL at the highest level.

The young men, all aged from 16 to 17 years, come from Northern NSW and South East Queensland and were selected from an initial group of 150 athletes.

AFL Queensland’s Combine, formerly known as Rookie Search, is a five stage program run in partnership with the Brisbane Lions and the Gold Coast SUNS talent academies to provide athletes from non-AFL backgrounds in NSW and QLD with the opportunity to participate in and learn about the codes elite player pathways.

Karmichael Hunt (NRL) and Zac Smith (soccer) from the GC SUNS and Daniel Merrett (volleyball) from the Lions were on hand to speak with the athletes about the opportunities the talent academies can offer. Smith and Merrett are former graduates of the program while Hunt is the highest profile AFL recruit from another code.