In hot and humid conditions over the weekend, the Central West AFL U18 Development Squad endured a tough slog against teams from Newcastle, North Coast and Central Coast in a Northern Zone Carnival at Wauchope on the State's mid-North Coast.
Conditions were extremely difficult following 4 inches of rain on Friday night and this tested the
fitness of players.
Although the Central West were beaten in their trial matches, two players out of the squad were selected to be a part of the 'Northern Heat' Squad that will go on to play in the ACT on January 26-27.
Callum Dean (Bathurst) and Sam Burley (Parkes) impressed selectors to warrant their inclusion in the Northern Zone side.
Both players have been guided under the watchful eye of Coach Mick Sloan for a couple of years now and have the ability to take their AFL careers further.
According to AFL Game Development Officer Peter Yandle, "Callum and Sam both showed some promise at the Talent Camp held in Bathurst mid-September last year."
"With a bit of specific training in some areas of their fitness and ball handling skills, they could definitely take their footy further".
On an unfortunate note however, Bathurst's Wayne Ryan suffered a broken arm during the Carnival and this has set back his pre-season preparation with the Bushrangers.
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