Nathan Buckley Draft Camp Kicking Test

The draft camp is full of test measuring athletic ability and from that, there has been a steady stream of 'athletes" being drafted in the hope that they can become footballers (anyone remember Daniel Bandy?).

I think the trend is on the way out with the drafting of more actual footballers this year, especially with the introduction of Nathan Buckley's Kicking Test.

The test involves 6 targets ranging from 20 - 40m with kicks performed on both sides of the body. You are also scored on speed, accuracy, ball spin and trajectory. The highest rating you can get per kick is a 5 and the lowest score you can receive is a 1 with different criteria for each score.

You receive the ball with your back to the markers and as you receive the ball you are given a particular marker to kick to such as left short, right medium, left long etc.

Gary Rohan, from down my way in Western Victoria (Cobden in fact) received one of the highest scores. He was also drafted by my beloved Sydney Swans so I'm looking forward to big things from him (as well as a few hangers from what I've heard).

Tomorrow I'll discuss on how I think the test can be improved to simulate actual game conditions.

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