By Liam Twomey
TALK about pressure.
Standing in front of 120 of the best young footballers in Australia is AFL legend Matthew Lloyd.
He is about to put them through their paces on his self-devised handball drill.
On both their left and right sides are three targets at different metre lengths leaving no room for error.
In the stands of Etihad Stadium are representatives from the 17 AFL clubs including coaches, assistant coaches, football managers and head recruiters.
Within one minute the test will be over and the player will be scored out of 30 based on how close they got to each of the six targets.
For players on the fringes of being drafted, that one minute could prove the difference between finding a home at AFL level or finding another competition for 2012
Welcome to the AFL draft combine.
Lloyd said his test, along with the other assessments the players competed in at the combine, were the last chance to impress the recruiters.
“I think that 90 per cent of the boys and what they will be picked from has been seen in most of the games,” Lloyd said.
“(Recruiters) might come on the day and be unsure who to choose out of one or two and there might be something within these tests you see to make you say you know what, I’ll go with that boy.”
“I think, give or take a point or two it isn’t the be all and end all for the kid but I think it’s just confirmation that the testing, whether it’s sprinting, kicking or handballing can make a recruiter’s mind up.”
Lloyd made his name in the AFL as one of the best full forwards of all time. He finished his career with 926 goals from 270 games.
He was not known for handballing much in his playing days and that irony was not lost on him.
“I know I know. Bucks did the kicking when he was with the AIS academy a few years back and Kevin Sheehan came to me and said … those guys that are clean below their knees, there is probably no test for that,” Lloyd said.
“Jason McCartney … was in charge then and I went into his office and we threw a few ideas around. I took it away and we came back and we tested a few of them out.”
Lloyd said the testing process had come a long way since he went through the draft camp as a junior.
“There is nothing that slips by under the radar now when you are choosing a player. Back when I was chosen you probably just went off games whereas now there is nothing to hide,” he said.
“Some guys you expect to test well and they are so nervous and can’t relax and don’t test as well. I’m sure you will find there will be many champions (out of this draft) just like every other year.”
