In a fantastic showing for Flinders’ ongoing partnership with South Adelaide Football Club, all three players who took part in specialised draft training with Flinders sport experts have found themselves on AFL lists.

Led by Dr Sam Elliott in the College of Education, Psychology and Social Work, the new program invited players taking part in the national and state AFL draft combines to attend campus and receive training and tips from Flinders’ experts in a bid to ensure they could perform their best in front of AFL talent scouts.

Using Flinders’ technology and expertise in sport coaching and high performance, South Adelaide players Kyle Marshall, Will Verrall (also a current Flinders student) and Jaiden Magor received research-backed advice on getting the most out of sprint tests, vertical jumps and more, all activities they would undergo at the AFL draft combines.

And now the hard work has paid off in last week’s AFL draft round. Kyle Marshall was drafted to Port Adelaide at pick 59, while Will Verrall and Jaiden Magor have found themselves on the rookie lists of Melbourne and Sydney respectively.

The new training program builds on Flinders University’s ongoing sponsorship of the South Adelaide Football Club, with the university continuing to assist the club’s Panther Academy, now regarded as one of the best talent pathways in the country after producing the number one draft pick in 2021, Jason Horne-Francis.

EXCLUSIVE: As AFL clubs look to recruit for 2023, a handful of @southadelaidefc players have their training down to a fine science. Working with researchers at @Flinders University, they are hoping a new program will give them a competitive edge. @JasminTeurlings #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/TURu5V8NWL

— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) October 2, 2022