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Saad stars at AFL draft
After five years of playing soccer in Egypt, Ahmed Saad returned to Australia as a 16-year-old who had never touched an AFL ball.
Another five years on, he has been one of the stars of this week's AFL draft combine.
Saad won the repeat sprint test in 23.64 seconds, the fourth-best time in combine history.
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He turns 22 on Saturday and is trying to break into the AFL after an impressive season for the Northern Bullants in the second-tier VFL competition.
After returning to Australia from Egypt, Saad took up Australian Rules because a friend asked him to help make up the numbers in a local team.
"When I lived here (before) obviously I watched a bit of it, but I never touched a footy before then," he said.
"When I was 16, it was pretty much the first time - I couldn't even drop punt at that age.
"I picked it up and just wanted to improve.
"My first year was pretty bad, just getting to know the game, but after that I just kept improving."
Saad kicked an accurate 50.17 this season for the Bullants and won the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's best under-23 player.
"My aim to was to come here and make a name for myself," Saad said of the four-day combine.
"I've only been playing for five years, so I still have a lot of experience and improvement to do, but I'm willing to take the next step."
Another youngster to take a step in the right direction this week was 18-year-old Bradley Hill, the younger brother of Fremantle's Stephen.
Hill broke the combine beep test record with a score of 16.1.
AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan pointed out that most footballers do not post that high a score until they have been in the AFL system for several years.
On Friday, Hill and Will Hoskin-Elliott had a duel in the 3km time trial.
They were neck-and-neck until the last lap at Etihad Stadium, when Hill pulled ahead to win by a couple of seconds in a speedy nine minutes and 52 seconds.
"I was pushed pretty hard by Elliott and I thought he had me at the end, but I had a little bit left in the tank," Hill said.
"I was saying I was pretty knackered, I had sore legs - I had a watch on, so I was telling him the time, how quick we were going.
"That was probably as quick as I could go."
The four-day combine put 120 of the country's top young players through a series of physical and psychological tests ahead of the November national draft.
Meanwhile, reigning premiers Geelong hope to recruit Jed Bews, the son of former Cats captain Andrew Bews, under the AFL's father-son rule that has served the club so well.
Two stars of last weekend's premiership win, decorated defender Matthew Scarlett and key forward Tom Hawkins, were recruited under the rule, as was dual Cats' premiership player and now Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett.
Midfielder Bews was nominated by the Cats on Friday for Monday's father-son bidding meeting.
The other two players nominated were Tom Mitchell, son of Barry, by Sydney, and Dylan Buckley, son of Jim, by Carlton.
All clubs, other than Greater Western Sydney, can bid at the meeting.
After five years of playing soccer in Egypt, Ahmed Saad returned to Australia as a 16-year-old who had never touched an AFL ball.
Another five years on, he has been one of the stars of this week's AFL draft combine.
Saad won the repeat sprint test in 23.64 seconds, the fourth-best time in combine history.
Advertisement: Story continues below
He turns 22 on Saturday and is trying to break into the AFL after an impressive season for the Northern Bullants in the second-tier VFL competition.
After returning to Australia from Egypt, Saad took up Australian Rules because a friend asked him to help make up the numbers in a local team.
"When I lived here (before) obviously I watched a bit of it, but I never touched a footy before then," he said.
"When I was 16, it was pretty much the first time - I couldn't even drop punt at that age.
"I picked it up and just wanted to improve.
"My first year was pretty bad, just getting to know the game, but after that I just kept improving."
Saad kicked an accurate 50.17 this season for the Bullants and won the Fothergill-Round Medal as the VFL's best under-23 player.
"My aim to was to come here and make a name for myself," Saad said of the four-day combine.
"I've only been playing for five years, so I still have a lot of experience and improvement to do, but I'm willing to take the next step."
Another youngster to take a step in the right direction this week was 18-year-old Bradley Hill, the younger brother of Fremantle's Stephen.
Hill broke the combine beep test record with a score of 16.1.
AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan pointed out that most footballers do not post that high a score until they have been in the AFL system for several years.
On Friday, Hill and Will Hoskin-Elliott had a duel in the 3km time trial.
They were neck-and-neck until the last lap at Etihad Stadium, when Hill pulled ahead to win by a couple of seconds in a speedy nine minutes and 52 seconds.
"I was pushed pretty hard by Elliott and I thought he had me at the end, but I had a little bit left in the tank," Hill said.
"I was saying I was pretty knackered, I had sore legs - I had a watch on, so I was telling him the time, how quick we were going.
"That was probably as quick as I could go."
The four-day combine put 120 of the country's top young players through a series of physical and psychological tests ahead of the November national draft.
Meanwhile, reigning premiers Geelong hope to recruit Jed Bews, the son of former Cats captain Andrew Bews, under the AFL's father-son rule that has served the club so well.
Two stars of last weekend's premiership win, decorated defender Matthew Scarlett and key forward Tom Hawkins, were recruited under the rule, as was dual Cats' premiership player and now Gold Coast captain Gary Ablett.
Midfielder Bews was nominated by the Cats on Friday for Monday's father-son bidding meeting.
The other two players nominated were Tom Mitchell, son of Barry, by Sydney, and Dylan Buckley, son of Jim, by Carlton.
All clubs, other than Greater Western Sydney, can bid at the meeting.
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