NCAS girls hit the ground running

The North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS) AFLW program has started with a flurry of activity, conducting back to back sessions across the last two Saturdays.

It hasn’t been just a case of too much footy is never enough, with the girls in the program put through their paces with a full battery of Draft Combine style testing. Over the two days the athletes completed the Yo-yo and 2km time trial for endurance, the standing and running vertical jump, the 20m sprint (with splits at 5m and 10m), and the AFL agility test.

“The girls recorded some really impressive results through the testing and their athletic potential is exciting. Through the NCAS program, the girls have access to a strength and conditioning program and coaching which they will be doing over the school holidays and we’re looking forward to seeing how much they develop during this time,” said NCAS Assistant Coach Shannon Goodenough.

From an AFL specific perspective, the two sessions also focused strongly on improving the core skills of handballing and kicking, which then built into game sense drills.

“Kicking and handballing are the cornerstones of our game. We know we have to be able to do these well to be successful in footy, but we also have to be able to produce these skills in live game situations, so this has been the focus over the last two weeks.

“We’ll keep building on this philosophy so that the girls feel really confident in their hand and foot skills,” explained Shannon.

The squad of 25 players aged 13 to 16 years are based across the region from Port Macquarie to Casino. The program resumes in January.