Season 2010 - Official AFL Website of the Collingwood Football Club

The objective of the NSW scholarship program, created by the AFL in 2005, is to develop and promote AFL in the NSW region.  The idea is to identify those players who have the potential to make it into the AFL, with clubs eligible to sign players and develop their game, before having first rights to drafting them when the players become draft eligible.

The program is scheduled to cease at the end of 2010 with introduction of the Sydney Swans and GWS academies.

Weight: 73 kg
DOB: 10-06-1992
Recruited from: Penrith Swans

Highly sought after as a 14-year-old, Nick Perry, who hails from the Penrith Swans Football Club in the western suburbs of Sydney, signed on in 2007 as a Collingwood scholarship holder.

Perry is a 190-centimetre talent with tremendous athletic capabilities, lured to AFL football when he was 10 by a couple of mates, having played state representative baseball for many years.

Perry was spotted by Collingwood playing local representative football, something he has done for each of the five years he has played Australian rules. As with Thomas Young, Perry is another product of Collingwood’s New South Wales Talent Academy managed by former Sydney Swan veteran Rod Carter.

Perry will come under consideration by the club at the end of 2010 when he becomes eligible for the draft.

Height: 192 cm
Weight: 89 kg
DOB: 26-04-1992
Recruited from: Wollondilly

Tom Young, who hails from Bowral, about an hour and a half south of Sydney, plays his junior football for the Campbelltown Blues.

The 188-centimetre prospect was introduced to the game by his father, who grew up in Ballarat.

Young moved down to Melbourne at the end of 2009 and will train with the club and play for the VFL side in 2010.

Height: 190 cm
Weight: 78 kg
DOB: 07-06-1993
Recruited from: Penrith Swans FC

Michael Hartley, who stands at 190 centimetres, hails from Penrith where he plays for the Penrith Swans.

"Hartley is an elite high jumper, he’s got an athletic background, he’s also a representative cricketer, so he’s got a really strong athletic background in a range of sports, so he’s a natural sportsman," Derek Hine said.

“Like Jarrod, he’s a project type player, so we see him playing either as a centre half back or centre half forward. He’s shown rapid improvement, as have all the boys who have been part of our academy programs.”

Height: 197 cm
DOB: 13-10-1992
Weight: 85 kg
Recruited from: Normanhurst/St Ives FC

Jarrod Witts, who is from Normanhurst, about 30 kilometres north-west of Sydney, is a 197-centimetre key position prospect who has represented his state in both rugby union and cricket.

“Jarrod is 15 coming from a rugby union and cricket background, and has only played five games of AFL in total. He is playing with St Ives Football Club” Collingwood national recruiting manager Derek Hine told collingwoodfc.com.au.

“At 197 centimetres, our research suggests he’s enormous potential for development. A left footer, he is very much in the learning phase of the game. He’s an outstanding young man with a terrific attitude and has very supportive family.

"The exciting aspect with Jarrod is that he is very athletic and physically will develop into a very strong potential ruckman power forward not dissimilar to Kurt Tippet from Adelaide.”

Height: 182 cm
DOB: 20-08-1993
Weight: 63 kg
From: Glen Alpine (Campbelltown)

Yakimov, a 182-centimetre midfielder from the Western Suburbs Football Club, has chosen the Magpies ahead of a number of other AFL clubs who were pursuing his signature.

Collingwood’s national recruiting manager Derek Hine, who identified Yakimov during the New South Wales state under 15 and 16 championships, was delighted to have brought a talented midfielder into the New South Wales scholarship program, complementing a group comprising plenty of developing height and size. 

“We see Adrian actually going through the middle of the ground, and that was at the forefront of our thinking, to bring in a smaller player who could potentially develop as a midfielder,” Hine said.

Hine describes Yakimov as a player possessing the attributes relevant to what is required in the modern game.

“He’s got an elite running capacity, got terrific speed and a great jump,” Hine added.

Height: 185 cm
DOB:  15-04-93
Weight: 75 kg
From: Tathra Sea Eagles (NSW)

The 185 centimetre utility was identified by the club in 2009 when playing for the Cats (under-16s) in the Riverview carnival under15/16 Australian Championship held in Sydney.

“Tyson was able to demonstrate that he has traits in his game that when developed could potentially see him playing in the AFL he has good speed and his lateral movement allows him to find space in traffic, strong overhead for his size we see Tyson potentially being able to play multiple positions," the club’s national recruiting manager Derek Hine told collingwoodfc.com.au.

From: Batemans Bay (NSW)

Elijah was signed at the start of 2010 as a 14-year-old and will spend the next four years improving his game until he can come into consideration for a place on Collingwood's senior list.

“We are delighted to announce Elijah’s addition to our New South Wales Scholarship list, Elijah is a player of unlimited playing potential who has attracted a lot of interest from other AFL club’s and we are delighted that Elijah and his family have accepted our offer to join our club via our scholarship list", national recruiting manager Derek Hine told collingwoodfc.com.au.

Height: 190 cm
DOB:  02/06/95
Weight: 78 kg
From: Western Suburbs (NSW)

John was signed in April 2010 as a 15-year-old after the club discovered him in a state carnival held in Aubury last year.