2024 FAFL Draftee Bios: DC#359 Name: Tai Nacua Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Dragon Height: 180cm Weight: 91kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: August 1, 2004 Hometown: Parkville, VIC Junior Club: Collingwood (VFFA D1) Playing Position: Full-Forward/Wing Player Background: Ask anyone who was around Tai growing up, they'd say he was never meant to touch a footy pitch. By their accounts he belonged on a soccer field or in an Olympic pool, having a great foot for kicking and finding the net and in the water...well he's a dragon who can swim like a fish...even keeping the goggles as part of his everyday attire showing his dedication to the craft. In his younger years, Tai would have no issue keeping up and leading in soccer however as he grew he'd have a hard time keeping up and would at times even find himself shoved to the bench save for injuries opening a slot for him. Not exactly an encouraging sign for someone with future aspirations for the national team. Much as a future in swimming and modelling swimwear would be a good life, Tai was still bound for the big stage...By sheer chance seemingly, a footy scout was at a game Tai got a starting nod in and saw the kicking leg he was sporting as he bagged a hat trick in goals. Before he knew it, Tai would find himself on a different pitch. He was certainly attractive as a prospect, a youth spent in soccer and swimming kept him in excellent shape and conditioning. While it might have taken a while to rein him in and coach him into a calmer demeanor, at times they knew to let Tai be a wild horse player as some might put it, knocking out a flurry of goals. On top of having the goods to play, he's certainly a personality worth following with the charisma and attitude to back it up. A flex of a tattooed arm, a wink of the eye, or a lift of the shirt teasing some abs could get any girl or guy to swoon. He sure enjoyed a lot of the eyes and attention he got, while it might fuel a bit of an ego he knew to use it to spur his game. Going back, Tai himself never expected to be playing footy but he wouldn't change a thing. It seemed like everything was falling into place for him. A sport he could star in, a blossoming social life...what's not to like?" Preferred Player Number: 1 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#360 Name: Alexander Keys Nickname: Garland Gender: Male Species: Chipmunk Height: 195cm Weight: 86kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: December 1, 2002 Hometown: Robina, QLD Junior Club: Broadbeach (QSFFL) Playing Position: Half Forward Flank/Forward Pocket Player Background: Some people care little for Christmas and all it's commercialism these days, others can barely seem to get enough of it with all it's colorful lights and decorations, listening to carols soon as halloween's come and past. Alexander...certainly falls into that latter category. The amount of days in a year he's not donning green or red you count on one hand. From everyday errands to his club warmups he'd be wearing least something Christmasey. One thing he always had about him was the cheery attitude that usually came part in parcel with Christmastime. A good win, Alexander's right there to celebrate with the whole side. A missed play, he's right there to tell his teammate to brush it off and try again. Cheer and encouragement often needed by those around him...especially his little sister Camille. He always had to be the better word in her life, no matter how many times she got told she was no good at footy, he was there to tell her otherwise. Someone to remind her that she was good enough to play, strong enough to push past what others wanted to think and say. A mentality that shows in his playstyle as well. He's earned quite the rep for being an incredibly selfless player. Always willing to handball or kick it out to a teammate with a better look than he had. A goalless game for Alexander never bothered him, and his fellow forwards were always opened up to be the recipients of his generosity. In addition to Alexander's selfless style, his personality makes him a bright spot of any squad he's been a part of able to pick up teammates from a slump or encourage them to keep on going. Preferred Player Number: 25 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#361 Name: Camille Keys Nickname: Baby Doll Gender: Female Species: Chipmunk Height: 170cm Weight: 56kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: November 9, 2004 Hometown: Robina, QLD Junior Club: Broadbeach (QSFFL) Playing Position: Rover/Centre Player Background: To grow up in one's shadow is one thing, it's another thing to be alright with that. As seen with little Camille. Always there in the stands to see her big brother Alexander in his footy games, she was always wowed and amazed by how easy he'd make it look from the silky handballing to the precise kicking...All things she'd certainly wanna do someday. It was...all very painful at first. She'd never find herself with the physical gifts that Alexander was blessed with, growing up rather short and not as strong as him. It got discouraging as well, often being told footy wasn't for her...to go back to playing dress-up, painting her nails and other things of that nature. Throughout all of the tears and bad games, Camille had Alexander in her corner. When she wanted to give, he told her to keep on going. Many wanted to point out her flaws, he pointed out her strengths...things she learned to focus on. Camille knew she'd never grow as tall as her peers or as strong as them...but she knew she was faster than them and more elusive than them. She'd make these the cornerstone parts of her game, outrunning other midfielders to crack into the enemy fifty to get a quick goal off or slip and slide away from oncoming tackles and break ankles, in essence being a player you almost have to leave a spy on. Between her personal exploits, sewing and making toys for those in need and holding down her side job in one of the local day care. She would always make a point of encouraging those she worked around or that received her gifts, the encouragement that few others gave to her growing up and on her path to footy. The truly encouraging bit for her, getting to join the league alongside of her brother Alex. The selfless forward and the lightning fast midfielder, one gifted naturally and the other great in spite of what was against her...both showing there's more than one way to bake a cake. Preferred Player Number: 5 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#362 Name: Jahana Brister Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Honey Badger Height: 185cm Weight: 88kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: March 13, 2001 Hometown: Tampa Bay, Florida, USA Junior Club: International Recruit (United States) Playing Position: Centre/Wing Player Background: To be born to a sports family is one thing...Then follow in their footsteps and match their greatness and happily ever after....right? Right? Well...not exactly clear cut if you're Jahana Brister. From a young age, little Jahana always saw her father Orion playing his best and hardest. No matter how far ahead or behind he never gave up or took it easy. A grit that young Jahana would develop as she grew, in time picking up the sport like her dad did but...this was where the story began to deviate. Seeming to have talent but whiff it on some of the simplest plays, often claiming she couldn't find the ball. From that to struggling even in school to read, the concern began to climb higher and higher. The doctor's results were less than positive...Retinitis Pigmentosa. Being warned at a young age that her sight might get worse, possibly going blind eventually. Far from encouraging to put it lightly, in fact it made her a bit withdrawn since it effected her ability to play sports even casually. Jahana might have been down but was far from out however. She'd enter into experimental treatments which while not improving her sight, it did seem to keep her condition from worsening. Paired with tinted goggles, there was hope again...hope to play. While her football play was decent, her condition would keep any school or even semi-pro league from looking at her. All except for the FAFL International Pathway Program, a program that would give her a chance...a chance to try, a chance to learn, a chance to succeed. Oddly enough, one thing that really helped her was the bright colors the footy rocked making it easier to spot. She'd begin learning to listen better for the ball as it soared through the air, keeping her eyes on her matchup despite a lack of peripheral vision, It was work but...work that would bear fruit. The Tampa Frigates, where the FAFL IPP assigned her would see her become a deft ball handler and marker. Someone who was becoming great not just because of her name or because of everything that was in her favor...but as well as in spite of what was against her. The surface wasn't picture perfect, but she was certainly learning that didn't really mean a thing. A true fighter and hard worker, like her dad Orion. Preferred Player Number: 19 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#363 Name: Jordan Shiramine Nickname: Gender: Male Species: White Lion Height: 177cm Weight: 72kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: April 25, 2003 Hometown: Kyoto, Japan Junior Club: International Recruit (Japan) Playing Position: Centre Half-Back Player Background: Sports are the biggest arena of the world...well, whoever said that surely hasn't spent a minute in a host club. Behind all the fresh pressed suits and shirts, the smiling faces and the often intimate and quaint atmosphere it can turn rather cutthroat. Just ask Jordan...More than a couple of scuffles over higher paying clientele occurring on the regular tell a fair tale. Never came to blows or physical altercations, gotta keep the face pretty for the clients after all. Things got interesting however when he picked up a new favorite client...A scout for Japan's national footy team. Always looking for able bodied people who might have athletic inclinations...She knew how Jordan fit the bill even all dolled up as a host. Sure enough with his next payment he found an invitation shuffled in. Truth be told, he was looking to mingle so...however to his surprise it was tryouts for the Japan Stars..that same cute talent scout having gear ready for Jordan. ""I'm glad you took me up..."" Strangely enough, one thing Jordan never revealed was his baseball playing days as an observant infielder. Something that helped him in said tryouts, paired with his work as a host keeping him calm under fire. It was intriguing seeing how he could navigate the pitch and the plays without a sweat, worry, or even a hair out of place. No doubt getting to spend some time in the Japan Stars playing alongside surprise star Yan Ishida. Certainly ended up playing second fiddle a lot in their shared time but given who he was paired alongside, no shame in that at all. Picking up on the small but emerging talent drip from the Asia cup into the FAFL, Jordan saw his next grand opportunity...To represent his country well overseas and perhaps give Australia a little taste of his life. Who's to say a host club wouldn't work elsewhere in the world? Preferred Player Number: 9 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#364 Name: Tracey Alyx Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Australian Water Rat Height: 172cm Weight: 68kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: September 12, 2004 Hometown: Tennant Creek, NT Junior Club: Tennant Creek (NTFFL) Playing Position: Half-Forward Flank/Wing Player Background: To find success on the world's stage is an incredible feat. To young Tracey however, a medal or two was never quite enough. Always an eager one and never wanting to rest on her laurels... It was quite the feat alone to win a medal for a country known little if it all for any prowess in the Olympic Winter games like Tracey had achieved, from having used unconventional training methods such as surfing and wakeboarding to get herself fit to perform, even boarding in mud at some points to try and get the feel for snowboarding even from the tender age of six. Determination's certainly something Tracey is never lacking in. Imagine the buzz when this young aussie girl, out of seemingly nowhere was elected to represent her country and would come up big, ranking sixth in Halfpipe and managing to net a silver medal in Snowboard Cross. Her jubilation on the stand was immeasurable, her even making the promise to come back and take home a piece in Halfpipe next time. Even more stunning was her declaration to join the FAFL. Tracey had been known to take part in her state leagues as a method to keep herself in shape and battle ready as she puts it. Tracey had always been seen as having a way of eluding tackles and slipping through enemy lines in some unreal manners. The truest of escape artists if you will. Something no doubt expected with her expert body control and ability to cut and drop on a dime, like her board through soft powder. Someone with the sheer skill like her ain't been see in Tennant Creek's ranks since the days of her once teammate Ashlynn Adler. Even at a young age, Tracey turned into more than an athlete. She was a bit of an icon already and before even finding her way into a pro team. There were questions of course but what prospect don't have questions about them. With Tracey you know she's a strong athlete who can always put her head down and work long as she has a star to reach for. Preferred Player Number: 2 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#365 Name: Noah Fernsby Nickname: Creamsicle Gender: Male Species: Capybara Height: 170cm Weight: 70kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: August 17, 2003 Hometown: Brisbane, Queensland Junior Club: North Queensland (QSFFL) Playing Position: Full-Forward Player Background: If you're looking for a ball of sunshine, you're in the right place. Noah Fernsby is a face you cant hate. Charismatic, kind, and a good sportsman are a few words his family, friends, and teammates would describe this capy. Growing up, Noah admired the sportsmanship footy had to offer and began playing the sport when he finally got the chance. When he started, he wasn't necessarily great at it, especially since his position required scoring. His teammates then weren't huge fans of the capybara and excluded him in events outside of footy. And because of this Noah did hesitate about continuing to play. That maybe this sport wasn't for someone like him... but his coach put a full stop to that. She insisted that Noah should continue, and that they could work on his trouble spots. Noah, regaining his confidence would slowly improve and it showed through his actions. His teammates, who held him in low regard began to respect the capybara's determination and positivity when things got tough. While he may have his head in the clouds at times, he means well. Noah now hopes to continue on and improve his skills within the FAFL. Preferred Player Number: 6 Creator: Toasty Thylacine Star Rating: *** ½ Stars (3.5 Stars) DC#366 Name: Austin Wakeman Nickname: Aussie Gender: Male Species: Rabbit-Kangaroo Hybrid Height: 176cm Weight: 76kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: April 23, 2003 Hometown: Springfield, NSW Junior Club: Gosford (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Full Back/Half-Back Flank Player Background: Having endured a challenging upbringing, Austin faced a harrowing ordeal at just 14 years old - suffering a rough traumatic event. This traumatic event preceded an intense Identity Crisis at the age of 15, during which he grappled with his sense of self. In addition to these hardships, Austin harbored a secret past as an ex-Street Gang member, from which he distanced himself four years ago. Despite these trials, Austin demonstrated remarkable resilience and determination. After being unable to join the prestigious 2nd Commando Regiment or SASR, he channeled his energy into pursuing his longtime passion for the Furry Australian Football League (FAFL). His dedication to this sport fueled an unyielding work ethic, as he trained rigorously to build a better life for himself. Austin's physical fitness is truly commendable - his strength, endurance, agility, and overall athletic prowess are undeniable. Moreover, his mental toughness is evident in his ability to remain calm under pressure and maintain focus during high-stakes situations. He adheres strictly to discipline and adapts easily to new challenges, possessing a strong teamwork ethic. Austin's journey has not been without its setbacks; however, he has demonstrated remarkable resilience in overcoming past difficulties. Holding a year 12 HSC certificate, Austin aspires above all else to achieve his dream of playing in the AFL. Despite occasional triggers that may provoke lingering Post-PTSD symptoms, he remains steadfast in pursuing his goals. Preferred Player Number: 8 Creator: Roovenger Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#367 Name: Thomas Kipkirui Nickname: The Obsidian Rhino Gender: Male Species: Black Rhinoceros Height: 193cm Weight: 93kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: November 13, 2000 Hometown: Nairobi, Kenya Junior Club: International Recruit (Kenya) Playing Position: Ruck Rover/Ruckfur Player Background: Straight from Nairobi, Thomas comes from a hard working family of quarry workers. Always diligent to the job, he soon saw new opportunities when his parents's company took a contract that would lead them to move over to Australia for work. Wanting to learn and find ways to belong and fit in his new environment, A worker offered him to join a local Australian football club. With all the amount of work Thomas has done to make himself very fit and being very strong, he soon learns that he had the abilities to excel at the sports. Being diligent, what started to be a hobby soon became a new career path as Thomas would soon be noticed by many professional scouts as a really great Ruckfur. Particularly good as a Ruck Rover also, his tenacity and strength, also being able to take a lot of tackling in a game gave him the moniker " The Obsidian Rhino " for being this tough. Preferred Player Number: 34 Creator: MartineauQC Star Rating: *** ¼ (3.25 Stars) DC#368 Name: Aaron Portman Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Dhole Height: 188cm Weight: 95kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: April 2, 2006 Hometown: Perth, WA Junior Club: North Fremantle (WAFFA) Playing Position: Back Pocket Player Background: Aaron was always watching Aussie football with his father who always encouraged his son to pursue the sport; especially as a way to curtail his more aggressive tendencies of getting into fights. He was the textbook definition of a rough around the edges jock who always seemed to be jamming to really loud metal music when not playing football. He was a strong defender, able to spoil many passes by punching the ball away or simply tackling the other player out of the path of the ball; often getting him penalized in the process. He certainly knew how to wear down a team through his physicality alone. Everything really ramped up when he joined the North Fremantle junior club. There was where he came across Hensen Reed. Initially, they were argumentative toward one another and the coach kept them apart for the sake of the team coexisting. After some time and a few chats, they began to find similar interests they had such as metal music which helped form a strong bond between the two. Now whenever both of them were on the field together, they complimented each other greatly, shutting down defenses with their physical playstyles, earning them the moniker of the ""Bash Brothers"" due to how they would bash their opponents; occasionally ending up with them facing the tribunal for their more egregious tackles. Preferred Player Number: 21 Creator: Kova Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#369 Name: Hensen Reed Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Maned Wolf Height: 183cm Weight: 93kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: August 30, 2005 Hometown: Fremantle, WA Junior Club: North Fremantle (WAFFA) Playing Position: Back Pocket/Full Back Player Background: Hensen never felt he fit in with others, often keeping to himself and appearing to have a passing interest in Aussie Football. Often he could be seen watching the team play and threatening to beat up any of the players that got out of line enough to threaten other players. One day, the coach noticed him and his presence and offered him a tryout with the team which he initially turned down, citing an inaccuracy with kicking the ball. Eventually the coach convinced him to give it a try and although his kicking needed work, he was fairly quick and was a real good defender. His physical presence on the pitch allowed him to tackle and spoil plenty of opportunities out of the hands of their opponents. He grew to become friends with his teammates which helped him open up a little over time. Everything really ramped up when he joined the North Fremantle junior club. There was where he came across Aaron Portman. Initially, they were argumentative toward one another and the coach kept them apart for the sake of the team coexisting. After some time and a few chats, they began to find similar interests they had such as metal music which helped form a strong bond between the two. Now whenever both of them were on the field together, they complimented each other greatly, shutting down defenses with their physical playstyles, earning them the moniker of the ""Bash Brothers"" due to how they would bash their opponents; occasionally ending up with them facing the tribunal for their more egregious tackles. Preferred Player Number: 44 Creator: Kova Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#370 Name: Josh Ingram Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Cheetah Height: 177cm Weight: 114kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: December 29, 2005 Hometown: Apollo Bay, VIC Junior Club: Collingwood (VFFA D1) Playing Position: Forward Pocket/Half Forward Flank Player Background: Molds are made to be broken, right? Fair to say Josh loves breaking those! Even if he never wanted to at first... Josh fit in with all his siblings at first, running fast, playing hard and being active like cheetahs are known to be. That path got a bit crooked however when he decided to use some of his allowance on a box of cookies...or two. Captain Chip and Tim Tams weren't even a treat in the Ingram home, leading to little Josh wanting to sneak those in whenever he could. As the Ingram kids grew up however, Josh also found himself growing the wrong way much to his parents' disappointment, feeling like they went wrong seeing their fit cub turn into a chubby cheetah. Even Josh began looking in the mirror in disbelief in how much he'd filled out. He wasn't the runner like his siblings still were, none of his clothes fit right, he stood out in family pictures for the wrong reasons...he began feeling like he didn't belong. It wasn't until he had a friend introduce him to footy that he'd find his way to be active again. Sure he had a harder time keeping up and beating defenders but it was something he started to love and wanted to feed as much as his sweet tooth. While normally seeing someone succeed and take ownership in life, his sudden success in footy merely confused his parents and angered his siblings. How was the fatty in the family out performing the others? They worked and maintained themselves yet Josh playing the best all while munching cake. The seeming scorn from his family often led Josh to being insular in his attitude...and made his eating habits worse. The cheetah got bigger and bigger...it made it harder and harder. That was where he found his new family in his team however... Collingwood's coach and players rallied around the portly cheetah, offering whatever support they could from letting him over for a night or two, helping him get his weight under control or even just being a friend to him. Josh was shown there's more to family than what you're born to. Fair to say, Collingwood got repaid handsomely, Standing under six foot tall and heavy set he might be a walking example of irony for a small forward but he sure had the skill for it. Often described by opposing defenders as a 'Bowling ball of a Small Forward' able to use his natural speed and size to barrel through tackles and force a window for a kick or slot the ball in through a narrow opening. His naturally strong legs for a cheetah also help propel him around the forward line, getting strong angles on his opposition or drawing heat to free up a fellow forward. Not to mention his selflessness, Josh has been known well for being a supportive guy in the locker room always eager to praise and build up his teammates. Some think it comes from his own lack of support in life. Regardless, all together makes him a loveable player. Preferred Player Number: 50 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#371 Name: Rory Murphy Nickname: Right Foot Rory Gender: Male Species: Raccoon Height: 188cm Weight: 92kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: July 11, 2006 Hometown: Galway, Ireland Junior Club: International Recruit (Ireland) Playing Position: Full-Forward Player Background: Rory was born in Galway, Ireland as the second oldest of 5 siblings. Growing up, the young kit grew up in a competitive environment, constantly fighting to be the best amongst his siblings. He would especially compete with his oldest sibling, Lyra. Especially when it came to sports. From Ireland to California, the raccoon strived to be the best he could. While still in high school, Lyra had managed to out-do him by heading off to play in the big leagues with the UFFL. No matter... he'll be something greater. Rory had never thought much about Aussie Rules as a professional career... but for whatever reason, it drew him in. After school he would study whatever tapes he could get his paws on, staying up late watching old games. While his sister had a Las Vegas Bandits poster on her wall, he had the Gold Coast Dragons. Instead of going to college, the young raccoon decides that he'll try his luck in the FAFL. Maybe then he'll stop this obsession with being the best there is... Preferred Player Number: 2 Creator: Toasty Thylacine Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#372 Name: Clarissa McKee Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Antilopine Kangaroo Height: 182cm Weight: 85kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: March 23, 2005 Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Junior Club: Lathlain (WAFFA) Playing Position: Half-Back Flank Player Background: Growing up as part of a Navy Family can be hard. Having a parent be away at a Naval Base for most of the year can make things a bit difficult around the house. Doubly so when your mum was also a Sailing Skipper for the national team who also had to travel a lot to be able to compete at a top level. In this type of environment where at least one of their parents wasn’t going to be there for a bit, The kids were going to have to be pretty independent and dedicated to whatever tasks they needed to do. For Clarissa and Stefon McKee, that fit them to a tee. Both were always helping whatever parent of theirs was at home that week with what needed to be done. Whether it was cooking, washing clothes or helping clean the house, Clarissa and Stefon were there to make sure the task was done. It did certainly make for a bit of a childhood where the siblings were unable to do extracurricular activities but if the family was going to be able to operate as a unit, They were going to have to do their part. But as the two were growing up, Both of their parents started to pull back from their commitments. Their mother would retire from Sailing to take more care of them before their father would honourably be discharged from the Navy not long after. What was once busy days filled with work and helping had now become wide open with free time. Free Time that the two had no idea on how to fill. While her brother Stefon had filled his free time with sitting around, hanging with the dudes and stuffing his face with Fried and Roast Chicken from the local popular chicken chain, Mainwaring’s. Clarissa was trying to fit in with the local girl’s clique but struggled and in the end turned off by their attitudes. The McKees were in desperate need of to find something that could build themselves up and be able to maintain not only their bodies but their mental health as well. Whether through circumstances or by choice, The both of them were somewhat reclusive and if they wanted to make it in the world, They’d have to break that cycle. Luckily for them, They’d have someone who could break them out of it. Growing up with the two was their cousin CJ. Throughout all those days of trying to keep the family unit running, CJ was the only consistent person in the lives of Clarissa and Stefon but once things started to settle down for their parents, CJ would pop around less and less with the Kangaroo mainly being busy with his own life. While Stefon and Clarissa were busy, CJ had been learning to play Basketball and after a while, The Roo proved to be pretty good at it. So good that CJ would be picked up by the local Perth Power team in the FBL as a junior. Due to his commitments with the club, He would be unable to spend much time with the McKee siblings. As things looked to be getting pretty bad for the siblings, CJ turned up to the household with an offer. Due to his status at the Perth Power, CJ could get free access to some of the local gyms thanks to a club sponsorship and CJ was able to have up to two friends or family members also on his membership. Noticing that Stefon had packed on the pounds and Clarissa seemed to be struggling to find stuff to do, CJ felt that the both of them could use it. At first, Working out at the Gym was hard for the both of them. Trying to fit into a new environment was hard for Clarissa. Not being used to doing stuff in public made Clarissa quite cold towards people she didn’t know but after a while, She did start to open up a little and make a few friendships. One of them was with a member of the local Lathlain football team. They invited both McKee siblings to a try out and with Stefon desperately wanting to get into sports after dropping 40 kilos, Clarissa thought. Why the hell not? Worth a shot. With her newly-worked on body thanks to hours upon hours in the gym and with a natural talent to not only be able to spot the finer details but able to hold her own against bigger bodies, Lathlain considered Clarissa to be a natural talent that just needed a bit of refining to be able to turn into a gun player. While it took a while for Clarissa to get the hang of accurate kicking, She displayed a knack for being able to use her strength and speed to put herself in the right position before either hitting the ball out of the hands of an opponent or laying on a tight, powerful tackle that would stop her opponent in their tracks. Combined with her brother Stefon who was dominating the ruck, Lathlain looked to finally rebound after a few years in the wilderness thanks to the skills of the both of them. For someone who was once a bit of a recluse trying to find a place to belong, Clarissa seemed like she had finally found a place where she belonged. It’s certainly an interesting story if you let Clarissa explain it all. With her newfound confidence and an eager brother wanting to take the next step, Clarissa McKee has put her name into the FAFL Draft. It might be a big step for her but with what she has shown on the field thus far, she feels ready to take on a whole new world of Friends, Foes and challenges. The old Clarissa might have shied away from the challenge but the new Clarrissa is ready to tackle the challenge head-on! Preferred Player Number: 12 Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** ¾ (4.75 Stars) DC#373 Name: Stefon McKee Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Antilopine Kangaroo Height: 199cm Weight: 140kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: March 14, 2004 Hometown: Perth, Western Australia Junior Club: Lathlain (WAFFA) Playing Position: Ruckfur/Centre Half-Back Player Background: Certainly the bigger of the McKee siblings, in more than one measure. Life for Stefon and his sister Clarissa began as one of a lot of hard work and regiment. Being kid to a Navy father and a National caliber Sailing Skipper mother, the expectations were always high on the pair growing up. Not a single thing out of place at home. From the home being clean and dinner made on time down to the shirts being folded correctly it was constant regiment and work all done without complaint. As their parents retired, things eased up for Stefon, and as common in extremes that swing to leisure was hard. While his sister Clarissa was trying to be social and hang with the local gals, Stefon seemed content to spend his new found freetime with his buddies, usually scarfing down chicken at Mainwaring's to the point you'd think Stefon was their unofficial mascot. However, stuffing all that fried goodness down his gullet day after day had it's drawbacks. Chiefly being Stefon was getting fat...though at first he foolishly wrote off his pants feeling tight and how he had a harder time feeling full. Nothing an extra side or a cookie couldn't cure...It took him ballooning up over double his old weight to finally realize he'd let himself go and badly... Realizing how big he'd let himself get made him shrink up in his personal shell, thinking who'd wanna hang out with a butterball like him, or how could anyone like him if he didn't even like himself? Him and Clarissa were back to bonded again, but now because they felt like all they had between Clarissa being mentally worn down and sad and Stefon dealing with how heavy he'd become the bond was more shared for how reclusive they were. However, the two had someone important that cared about them. Their cousin CJ, even being away with the Perth Power as one of their upcoming stars in basketball and all that took still cared about Stefon and Clarissa. Even in all of his time being chewed up in basketball, he could see they needed him... CJ managed to get a minute to sit with the pair, get them on a regiment in the gym and get them some help for their mental health. Clarissa learning to be herself and Stefon learning to enjoy things without becoming a mindless glutton. On his end, Stefon learned to eat better, knowing roast chicken was as filling as fried but didn't stick to his hips and getting on CJ's recommended regiment in the gym. It resulted in Stefon dropping roughly forty kilos and tacking on a lot of muscle. While the scale still read fairly high, he was moving and acting a lot better. Even with having a bit of a tank in his middle, he was built like a tank now. Taking after CJ, Stefon wanted to get into sports. He loves basketball a lot, fitting in pickup games at center using his long arms to pull boards and his wide build to bully on offense. Many would say he was still too hefty for basketball but with footy, he had a great opportunity. Under seven foot tall and having a keg of a belly, Stefon's far from what you expect of a ruckfur but with his newly gained athleticism and naturally long arms made him a menace for other rucks. Throughout his junior career, most of his positional opponents came out with some new scar or bruise from having to tango with him. Not to mention, he's been able to help out the backline a lot. Being as quick as he is for how wide he is, it's forced a lotta forwards to wither get swallowed up in one of his hard tackles or to kick and pray. Newfound confidence in hand, Stefon was ready to step to the challenge of the FAFL alongside Clarissa, and to be like CJ who helped him to be the player and person he is to this day Preferred Player Number: 47 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ¾ (4.75 Stars) DC#374 Name: Tonya Aiken Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Platypus Height: 178cm Weight: 80kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthday: November 8, 2005 Hometown: Launceston, Tasmania Junior Club: Prospect (TSFFL) Playing Position: Ruck Rover Player Background: Coming from Tasmania, Football was a part of life. With not much in the island state, It’s the simple things in life that give people enjoyment and one of the main things is Football. Tassie is a footy mad state and there was no-one more footy mad than Tonya Aiken. Tonya was in love with the game as soon as she hatched from her egg and the Aiken family were quick to indulge her love of the game. A lot of her childhood was spent at the nearby Prospect Football Club following the club and eventually joining the player ranks when she was old enough to join. As soon as she was a part of the player ranks, Her love of the game was quick to show how ahead of the pack she was in terms of skills. Having spent a lot of time handballing and kicking the ball around with her family and friends made her a great ball handler right from the start. While Tonya needed to work on her endurance and speed, It was easy to tell that the Platypus had a lot of potential on the footy field and due to the lack of things around her, She was very dedicated to her craft. As time went on, Tonya continued to impress for Prospect and became one of Tasmania’s brightest prospects in the junior ranks. While there are questions about how she handles herself off the field and what other interests she has. At least on the field, She looks to be a dependable hand that can be used to improve the team. Though time will tell if she gels with her teammates with other interests… Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#375 Name: Macy Waterman Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Marbled Duck Height: 180cm Weight: 83kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthday: August 13, 2005 Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia Junior Club: Eastwood (SANFFL) Playing Position: Rover Player Background: Ducks can be a dime a dozen in Footy. Having been around most of Australia since the game was created, There have been many notable ducks to have taken part in the FAFL including Douglas Guillen and Tony Quacker but coming through the Adelaide Junior Ranks is a Marbled Duck slowly becoming a fan favourite and bringing the game some much needed South Australian Flare. Macy Waterman might not seem like much from the onset but give her a few minutes and she'll have you raving about her. Macy Waterman has always been the excitable type. Whenever Macy would be involved with something and succeed at a task, She would celebrate the fact that she pulled it off very enthusiastically. While it might have turned some people off, It gave other folks an energy to feed off of and made her give off an infectious energy that was hard to ignore. This would get the attention of her parents who would enlist her into the local Footy Club in Eastwood. If Macy could handle herself on the footy field, She could potentially find something special and a place that could be a support group for the Duck who was seen as a bit of an outcast at times due to her excitability. While it took a little bit for her teammates to get used to her personality, She slowly proved to be a great teammate who could encourage her fellow teammates to to reach greater heights and thanks to her size, Was able to fit in as a midfielder and as time progressed, Macy slowly moulded into a dependable Rover who could pull Clearances out with ease and handball like the best of them. Despite being a shining light in the Eastwood midfield, It wasn’t until she had a breakout game against Croydon that she got the attention of the Football World. While her performance would be what talent scouts were raving about, Footy fans were raving about something completely different. During the game, Macy had struggled in front of the goals. While a Rover’s job isn’t to kick goals, It can still be frustrating when you keep getting opportunities to kick goals and whiffing those kicks. Macy was desperate to get a goal. She had been almost perfect all day but a goal would put the cherry on top. Even as the game started to wind down and the result became more and more secure for Eastwood, Macy still kept playing like Eastwood were down by 30+ points and needed her to win them the game. She kept desperately trying to get herself into position so she could go for goal but the ball never seemed to go her way. That was until the final minutes of the game. One of her teammates was trying to find a forward to kick to but with defenders swarming all over their available options, It felt like they were just going to have to kick it into space and just hope someone would be there to get it… Until, They noticed Macy open in the corner of their eye. Within a second, They called out to Macy and kicked the ball towards her. In some respects, Macy was not ready for the ball but as soon as she realised, She wasn’t going to waste this opportunity. Macy ran towards the goals, Swerved out the way of the opponents and kicked a blinder straight through the big sticks! She had done it! She had gotten the goal she wanted and she then showed the world how much it meant to her. She celebrated like she had just won the Grand Final and did a bunch of backflips as her teammates came running over to her. It was that moment that Footy Fans were talking about. “Did you see that video of the Duck celebrating that goal?” “What’s her name again? Macy Waterman?” “They gotta talk to her, I wanna know how she came up with that celebration!” Not long after the clip of her celebrating went viral, She was getting loads of attention and people were waiting to see how she would celebrate next time. After Eastwood won the next game, She did a handstand. The next time she kicked a goal, She did cartwheels and as the celebrations continued, Her popularity as a fan favorite continued to grow. By the end of the season, She was a cult hero in the SANFFL and people were asking when Macy was going to make the next step. She had the good fundamentals and the entertainment factor to make it and Macy agrees. She put her name into the 2024 FAFL Draft Pool and is now hoping to take “The Macy Waterman Show” on the road. Today Adelaide, Tomorrow Australia. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#376 Name: Lindsay Chapman Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Rabbit Height: 173cm Weight: 57kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: October 9, 2002 Hometown: Tamworth, NSW Junior Club: Wagga Wagga (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Half-Forward Flank/Rover Player Background: How hard is it to break into sporting? Pretty hard. When you're living in the shadow of a sibling who'd struggled a lot in said sport? Even that much harder... These however, were the dice cast for Lindsay. She had other things from her older sister Jessica certainly, from her love of music to her down to earth demeanor. Always spent a lot of time in the school's music room picking up both rhythm and bass guitar in the span of her secondary school days. An impressive feat without a doubt which would get her quite the collection of gigs and band spots. Like many musicians however, the simple gigs and whatnot weren't quite enough to scratch a living out. Even with the modest pay, the state leagues gave her a way to fill the financial gap. Weirdly enough she had teams clammoring to get her on board, eventually landing in her sister's old club Wagga Wagga. Lindsay without a doubt had at least a little something special in her when it came to footy. A good, certainly serviceable talent without a doubt. One of the steadiest legs on the kick when it came to accuracy. As the years and her time winded on in the state leagues she always seemed to dodge questions about potentially going pro, giving excuses about focusing on her music or how she hadn't really given it too much thought. Underneath it all Lindsay couldn't help but give it thought, yet seeing her older sister Jessica's struggles in the pro leagues perpetually drove her far away from being nominated. However then...something interesting happened. After Jessica got picked up by Cairns, she had a bit of a career revival. Maybe not to the level of superstardom but she was turning into a fan favorite and began to get some love from the fanbase. To see that play out was just what Lindsay needed, to show there wasn't some silly curse over the Chapman name and that if you could keep on working hard those sort of tags don't really matter that much. Preferred Player Number: 10 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#377 Name: Pete Nicholls Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Sydney Funnel-Web Spider Height: 177cm Weight: 71kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: June 12, 2005 Hometown: Sydney, New South Wales Junior Club: Blacktown (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Half Back Flank Player Background: Growing up in the rough streets of Western Sydney, Pete Nicholls has always played like he’s had a chip on his shoulder. With Western Sydney being mainly a Rugby League area with Aussie Rules not being that popular in the area, Pete became an Aussie Rules player to stand out and to be somewhat rebellious. Usually antagonizing the people who questioned why he was playing the game, Pete was known to be a bit of a tough nut who liked to pick fights with people, Whether they warranted it or not. This would spill onto the field as Pete has become known as a player you don’t wanna cross. Anyone who attempts to test Pete normally ends up leading to a rough and tumble match where Pete tries to get away with as many hard tackles and rough play as he can, Likely to leave his opponent for the day feeling sore and a bit worse for wear… While his aggressive style of lockdown defence would get the attention of scouts, It would also lead to teams planning for Pete with their own player normally trying to give him a hard time on field. This would come to a head when Pete would be put in a match up against a fellow bruiser in a sudden death final. The both of them would keep giving rough shots and verbal jabs at each other all game until it finally boiled over after a mid-air collision that involved Pete, One of Pete’s Teammates and Pete’s opponent that would knock out Pete’s teammate. With Pete not seeing the collision on his end, As soon as he saw his teammate on the ground, He went straight for his opponent and started trying to clock him. As soon as his opponent caught on to what Pete was trying to do, It would turn into an all out donnybrook between the two that would spiral into an all-out melee between both teams. Pete would be suspended for the rest of the finals series and his team would bow out of the finals unceremoniously the next week. This would lead to Pete missing out on the first few weeks of the 2023 season and led to some scouts being somewhat hesitant to bring him up as a potential acquisition for their team for being too badly tempered on field but that doesn’t have Pete worried. He’s put his name into the 2024 FAFL Draft Pool and he’s certain that he will be selected and will make an impact in the FAFL. He hopes opposition forwards will be fearing his name because Pete Nicholls is about to show the world why his hands are his weapons and just how lethal they are. Preferred Player Number: Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ½ Stars (3.5 Stars) DC#378 Name: Máximo Crespo Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Scarlet Macaw Height: 187cm Weight: 85kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: May 22, 2002 Hometown: Tunja, Boyacá, Colombia Junior Club: International Recruit (Columbia) Playing Position: Centre Half Forward/Centre Half Back Player Background: The Furry Australian Football League has had an explosion of International Talent in recent years. While a whole lot of them have come from the United States and North America as a whole, There has been top talent coming from Europe and Asia as well but the one region that has been lacking in terms of talent is South America. While there has been a player each from Argentina and Brazil in FAFL history, There has been no major representation from South America in the history books of the FAFL. That is until now. Coming from Colombia, Máximo Crespo hopes to become the first player from South America to make an impact in the FAFL and it took a hell of a lot for Máximo to even get to this point. Growing up in Columbia, Máximo is used to having things rough. Growing up poor in the city of Tunja, Máximo dealt with seeing a lot of poverty and a lot of crime. While things did improve around him over time, It was those experiences when he was young that shaped him into the person he is today and his want to get out of Columbia and make a better life for himself. While for most people in his situation, That would be a tough ask. Máximo had something on his side, His athleticism. The Scarlet Macaw always showed he had the potential to make it in sport with his athleticism but with Máximo struggling to entirely find a sport he liked playing, It was always going to be a hard task to keep him motivated to keep going. That was until Máximo saw that there were tryouts looking for local talent to play this sport he’d never heard of in Australian Football. After looking up the sport and the skills needed, Máximo knew that this was the sport he wanted to excel in to get him out of Columbia. He now had his sights set on “The Lucky Country”. After training himself to prepare for some of the skills he would need to show to the scouts, Máximo made his way to the try-outs in Columbia’s capital of Bogotá. Máximo impressed with his jump and his ability to kick but did struggle with his ball handling. Despite that, Máximo would be given one of the few invites to join the FAFL International Pathway program in Canberra and Máximo had finally found his ticket out of Columbia. Now he had to work to keep it… It took a little bit for Máximo to get through the process of being able to live in Australia and once he got there, He perhaps wasn’t used to living in Canberra compared to Tunja. It took him a while to get accustomed to the surroundings and it also took him a bit to get the hang of playing Aussie Rules. There were even a few times where Máximo was close to being cut by the program which would have forced him to move back to Columbia… However, From day one, Máximo showed that he had the drive to improve himself and apply himself to his craft. It might have taken a bit but after 3 seasons, Máximo was finally starting to find his rhythm and improve his ball control. This finally led to Máximo having his break-out year in 2023 where the Scarlet Macaw showed that with his Jump and Kicking abilities that he was able to be dual position threat in the Half Back and the Half Forward lines with Máximo normally being able to mark or intercept the ball at a consistent rate. While Máximo was perhaps not the most consistent goalscorer for the academy program, He was someone that could be relied upon to take the ball and at least try to set up a play up field. After the 2023 season where he received high praise for his performances, Máximo put his name into the FAFL draft and is now ready to become the first South American player to make a major impact in the league. If Máximo can handle the pressure of the big league, It will truly show that not only is Aussie Rules, Australia’s Game. But it might just be planting the seeds for it to become a global game. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#379 Name: Glen Gallagher Nickname: Gender: Male Species: Australian Merino Height: 196cm Weight: 101kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: March 26, 2005 Hometown: Bordertown, South Australia Junior Club: Ingle Farm (SANFFL) Playing Position: Ruckfur/Centre Half Back Player Background: Coming from Bordertown on the South Australian side of the South Australia/Victoria border, Glen Gallagher has always been a country boy at heart and had a passion for Australian Football. Growing up on the Gallagher Farm near the Tatiara Creek, Glen was almost always left to his own devices as a kid. Mostly due to the fact that his parents needed to work on the farm all the time so they’d still have a house under their roof. This meant that Glen was free to pursue what he liked and due to being an athletic type who loved to spend time running around the family farm and just play around along with Bordertown only having a local footy club, He was going to play footy. With not much else to do in the town and with Glen being a ball of energy, It was very much the right fit for the young Gallagher. Glen off the bat became known for his endurance and his ability to rebound the ball out of a defensive 50 and back into the Midfield. It was really looking like Glen was going to mainly be a defender… That was until he had a pretty big growth spurt as he went into his teenage years. After the growth spurt was all finished, Glen was 196cm and was taller than most Half Backs. This would lead to his coach giving him a try in the ruck. While Glen wasn’t the happiest with the move at first. After being able to use his height to his advantage to move the ball to his team’s Forward 50, He was very much on board being a Ruckfur. Being able to burn his energy off by going up and down the field was another positive in his eyes. It also didn’t hurt that he got to rest in the backline where he was used to playing when the team would rotate who was in the ruck. After a little while, Glen was getting attention from SANFFL teams who were looking for a dual threat who could play in the Ruck along with the Half Back line. While there were a few teams interested, It would be Ingle Farm that would get Glen’s signature. It would be a bit of a culture shock for Glen as he was used to living in the small country town like Bordertown and while it would take a bit of time before Glen fully got used to life in Adelaide, The Merino would adjust and during his time at Ingle Farm, He’d show them why they went all the way in trying to sign him. Glen would stun the SANFFL competition with his dominant performances in the Ruck, His incredible speed for his size and his ability to make plays in the Half Back when he was rotated out of the ruck. It made it hard for teams to plan against Glen as not only would they need to work out a way to beat him in the ruck but also find a way to get around him if they wanted to score with consistency. Glen was a true Double Threat and Ingle Farm knew it. But they also knew that he wouldn’t be there for long. They knew off the bat that if Glen proved himself to have the skills that FAFL scouts would be knocking at his door and trying to get him to sign up for the Draft so they could land his talents. While Glen would have loved to have stayed at Ingle Farm, He was never going to turn down the prospect of playing in the big league. With Footy being a massive part of Bordertown thanks to the local team, You had to live, sleep and breathe footy if you wanted to survive there. As was the case with Glen. There was always a focus on what was going on in the FAFL in Bordertown and any player who showed a bit of talent in the town was drilled into them that they needed to aim for the big time and to use their talent to make it in the big smoke so not only could they make a good life for themselves but also put the small town on the map. With the promise of a good life in front of him, Glen put his name into the FAFL Draft as soon as he could and is now looking forward to potentially finding himself on an FAFL list this coming season. He might be far away from Bordertown but that doesn’t matter for Glen, He’s ready to get himself the good life and make himself a name in the FAFL. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#380 Name: Jessie Buncombe Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Golden Tiger Height: 193cm Weight: 108kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: November 27, 2004 Hometown: Bairnsdale, Victoria Junior Club: Traralgon (VFFA D2) Playing Position: Full Back/Ruck Rover Player Background: Coming from the town of Bairnsdale in Victoria is a Big Tiger with a Big Heart. Known for being a ray of sunshine in the locker room and giving it 100%, Jessie Buncombe has the chance to be one of those players who improves the morale of a locker room by just being there. Jessie might not be the flashiest player or the biggest game changer but what he can bring with his grit and determination will make any coach want him on their list. Growing up, Jessie loved his footy. Always looking forward to the weekends that his family would take the long trip into Melbourne to see the Hammerheads play at the MCG. Getting to eat a Meat Pie while he cheered on the boys and girls of the club as they fought for the win. These formative days fueled Jessie to not only give the sport a shot as a kid but gave him the passion he’d need to keep the drive when he struggled to keep up with the progress of his teammates. Starting off in the junior ranks, Jessie was slow to show promise due to not being much of a natural athlete but his can-do attitude and his willingness to push himself made him a favorite of the coaching staff. What he lacked in natural ability, He made up for in his willingness to improve himself. This would normally get Jessie a spot on the bench and would make him a natural utility, Slotting in wherever the team needed him and never really getting a chance to cement himself into any position. Jessie would build up his skills slowly but due to his utility nature, He was never really able to fully make himself a player who could make himself a specialist. It made Jessie a bit of a square peg in a round hole. He could show some flashes of brilliance but would also show himself to be lacking in other skills which made him a below average player in some respects. The end was looking near for Jessie multiple times but every time he looked like he was going to be cut, The work he put forward on the training track would always see him through and give him another chance at improvement. Jessie would always take the opportunity to take himself to the next level whenever he did get a reprieve and slowly but surely, Jessie was finding a permanent spot in the squad. It might have been a role where he was mainly playing defence before being moved to the midfield when someone needed to take a rest. It wasn’t the most glamorous work on the field but Jessie made it work and showed that he could handle the grunt work. This would get Jessie noticed for the first time in his junior career. The Big Tiger had finally found his place in the sport and you could see how happy it made him on his face every time he went out onto the field. All the hard work and persistence paid off and he was finally getting rewarded for his hard work. Jessie was always there to celebrate whenever one of his teammates did well. He was normally the first to arrive at training and the last to leave and a day where Jessie wasn’t at the club doing something… Just felt weird after a while. He was that devoted. It was this devotion that really got Jessie noticed by talent scouts and has now led to teams chomping at the bit to pick him up in the upcoming draft. Jessie might not be the picture of an ideal star in the FAFL but every team needs that player who can handle the grunt work and the stuff that goes unnoticed and there certainly isn’t another player in the draft that can handle that quite like Jessie Buncombe. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#381 Name: Nigel Bhan Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Manta Ray Height: 184cm Weight: 78kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: August 4, 2005 Hometown: Ulladulla, New South Wales Junior Club: Wagga Wagga (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Forward Pocket Player Background: Growing up in Ulladulla, Nigel Bhan has always been the kinda easy-going type of guy who’s willing to take it easy and let life take him in the directions it wants to take him. That’s probably why he’s now in the FAFL Draft Pool. Nigel never saw himself being a FAFL player growing up. He was both the kind of guy who didn’t like pushing himself to just make it and the kind of guy to brush off competition. Preferring to be everyone’s friend instead. However, When a friend of his was begging him to join his footy club, Nigel just went with the flow and went to try out. What became apparent immediately was that Nigel was a really damn good kick. Nigel said that he’d never trained a day in his life but as people soon found out, Nigel just had a habit of kicking a footy around whenever he was bored or needed some fresh air. This had led to Nigel picking up the habit of being able to kick the ball many ways, Making him a jack of all trades when it came to specialty kicks. Wagga Wagga would sign him on the spot and play him in the Forward Pocket position. Nigel, despite his seemingly lackadaisical attitude to things, Seemed to invest his time into being at the club and working on his skills. Perhaps Footy was giving him something in his life that he didn’t have? Who would truly know. This would lead to Nigel becoming known as the guy on the team to kick to if you didn’t have another option as Nigel could slot a goal in from any angle or any distance it seemed. Didn’t matter if he had to use a banana kick to get it in from a tight angle or had to use a Torpedo Punt to kick it from downtown, Nigel could pull it off with what seemed like relative ease… While his attitude would peeve off teammates like Bronte Nye who would not vibe with Nigel’s attitude towards things and how things just seemed to come naturally to Nigel despite his attitude, Nigel would become a major part of Wagga Wagga and even a fan favorite as Wagga continued to impress with it’s large core of young talent. Much like the rest of the Wagga contingent, Nigel has put his name into the FAFL Draft. The Manta Ray might be thinking of it in the terms of “If I can do well here, Why not give the FAFL a chance?”. If Nigel can keep up his kicking talent, He’ll find himself a place in the FAFL very quickly and that’s just alright with Nigel. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ¼ (3.25 Stars) DC#382 Name: James Goldie Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Common Bottlenose Dolphin Height: 174cm Weight: 69kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: May 26, 2006 Hometown: Warrnambool, Victoria Junior Club: Geelong West (VFFA D1) Playing Position: Forward Pocket Player Background: There are players in this world who just want to play their sport, There are players who want to excel to the point that they’re the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All-Time) by the time they’re done and then there’s James Goldie… James’ main goal is to take Mark of the Year and win a car! That’s not his only goal in Footy but he really wants to be known as a player who can take speckys on a whim and be known as the most spectacular marker in the entire FAFL. If it gets him a new car to replace his old banger, Even better! Growing up in rural Victoria, James always seemed to have the Big City Lights in his eyes and the longing to get out of town and move to Melbourne. How was he going to become a big star if he stuck around in boring old Warrnambool? The place only had a bunch of Maritime stuff and outdoor sea baths. How was that going to put James Goldie, Football Superstar on the map? Who was going to pay attention to a kid who could mark well if he was stuck out in the sticks? It’s not like his family could move out of Warrnambool, They were quite poor and just scraping by living in a rural city like Warrnambool. There was no way his family was even going to be able to afford the higher cost of living in a city like Melbourne… He was going to have to be more than just a kid who could mark well if he was going to stand out. He was going to have to make himself so undeniably good that scouts couldn’t afford to ignore him. As James played junior footy in Warrnambool, He worked to improve his speed and goal kicking ability so he could set himself up as a Goal Sneak who was a target that opponents needed to stop in his tracks before he scored, Otherwise he’d run over the top of them. He would start to show a streak of being a player who could turn a game on its head on a moment’s notice with his ability to be in the right position at the right time. Everything looked like it was going to plan, He had improved his skills as a Small Forward and was starting to get looks from scouts who wanted to poach the young Dolphin to improve their Forward Line. If James wanted to put a seal on the deal, He had to pull off a massive highlight in the next game he played. That would put any doubts about his abilities out of the heads of anybody and would get James a one-way pass out of this town. It was time to take the big Specky that he had always dreamed of taking. The one that would show the world that he could be up there with the best when it comes to marking the ball. He spent most of the game waiting for the opportunity, Biding his time while the game played on around him. Finally, With only a few minutes to go. He had his opportunity. Pack forming in front of him, Ball coming directly his way! The time was now! As soon as the ball started it’s downward descent, James jumped on the back of one of the defenders and went to grab the ball out of the air! He just managed to grab it but now, it was the hard part… He had to hold onto the ball and land without getting hurt… With James only just getting his flippers on the ball, He didn’t have as much control as he’d like and very quickly, The ball came loose and James had lost it… Not only that but he was crashing back down to Earth and at quite a speed… One moment, He’s up in the air about to take one of the best marks anyone had ever seen… The next, All he could hear was a crack and a sharp pain in one of his legs… James Goldie had not taken the most spectacular mark you’d ever seen, He had just landed on his right leg and broke it… The next few minutes would be a blur as Paramedics rushed onto the field with a stretcher to collect the Dolphin who was now injured… James had blown it… Any hope he had of making it out of Warrambool had been blown he thought… No way in hell would a team want some clown who tried to take a mark but ended up breaking his leg instead… He would spend his hospital stint moping that he had blown his chance and that he was going to be stuck in Warrnambool for the rest of his life. That was until he was visited in hospital by a scout from the Geelong West Football Club. He had been impressed with how well James had played and felt sorry for how he had gotten hurt during the game. He had talked to the team and they were willing to help pay for his recovery on the condition that he played for Geelong West after he had recovered from the broken leg. James was gobsmacked. He thought his dream was finished and here was someone giving him a lifeline. It wasn’t entirely the path he was expecting but he wasn’t going to turn this opportunity down. James signed right away and started on his recovery as soon as he got out of the hospital. With the rest of the season going on without him and a long summer until he’d be cleared to play, James would try his best to get himself back into playing shape as his leg continued to recover. Once he was finally ready to go, He would have to make the long move to Geelong. A move like this, Especially for a player under 18 would be a tough move to make but for James, This is what he had been looking forward to for years, It might not have been Melbourne but it was still somewhere that was bigger than Warrnambool. It was a 2 and half hour car ride but he was finally at least close enough to where he wanted to be that he could taste it. This was his big break and he wasn’t going to waste it. James would take advantage of the great generosity of the Geelong West Football Club who helped not only him and his family move but helped pay for any out of hand expenses. This would perhaps influence how James would see the world from then on. Wanting to use his fame to get as much as he could off of other people and save away any money that he earned. However, If he was going to be able to pull something like that off. He’d have to put in the hard yards on the field and that is what James would do. While the Dolphin would perhaps be a little bit slower than what he was back in Warrnambool due to his previously broken leg, He’d lost none of his ability to come in and score goals from any situation. James very quickly found himself becoming one of Geelong West’s main Forward Line weapons and would see himself selected to be a part of the VFFA representative team. James would show that he could compete with the best that could be thrown at him as he was able to outrun and outmaneuver any defender sent his way. It was starting to get him a lot of interest from FAFL scouts that wanted to draft him to their teams. However, Before he could apply for the draft, James had one last bit of unfinished business he wanted to complete. He wanted to prove to the world that he could take a Specky and not only just a Spectacular Mark, He wanted to take the Mark of the Year in the VFFA. A lot of players would probably move away from taking risky marks after an injury as severe as the one James had but it was safe to say that the Dolphin has a devil may care attitude and when he has a goal, Can be hyper fixated on it. It took until the final few weeks of the season but James was ready to give it another crack and go for the Specky that was going to send him to the big time. This time, He wasn’t going to let himself get hurt. This time, He was going to grab the ball from the air and he was going to land on the ground. He just had to take his opportunity and run with it. Again, It took a while for the conditions to be just right but as the 4th Quarter started in the last game of the season, The ball came straight out of the midfield and barreled towards the forward line with height. If this was going to be the opportunity, James would have to take it. As the ball came closer down his end, James went up for the ball. He pulled it out of the air with grace and came down landing on his back. James had just done it! He had pulled off a screamer and the crowd was going wild! The Specky he wanted to take for ages had finally been pulled off. And exactly as James expected, Everyone was talking about it. The VFFA had the mark posted all over their social media and it even got shown by a few of the shows in the FAFL-sphere. That mark would win James, The VFFA Mark of the Year! James was expecting a prize along the lines of a New Car or at least something useful. However, The Dolphin would get a year’s supply of cereal and Gift Voucher to a Menswear store… James wasn’t the most impressed and vowed to win Mark of the Year in the FAFL so he could win that new car! Not long after he won Mark of the Year in the VFFA, He announced that he was putting his name into the FAFL Draft. James is ready for the bright lights of the FAFL and to pull off Mark of the Year again! Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#383 Name: Luis Stockdale Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Atlantic Puffin Height: 170cm Weight: 68kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: March 27, 2005 Hometown: Cygnet, Tasmania Junior Club: Kingston (TSFFL) Playing Position: Rover Player Background: It can always be a bit much for someone else to deal with someone who’s quite stuffy and proper. It’s even harder to deal with that when they are your star teammate and the reason your team is doing so well. For Luis Stockdale, He’s the ideal picture of the prim and proper gentleman and while it might rub some people the wrong way, Luis Stockdale might just be the perfect Rover to come out of this Draft Class. Growing up in Cygnet, Luis had always had a taste for Footy. With Tasmania being footy mad, It would have been very hard for him not to have a taste for it. However, What was a bit more unexpected was that Luis would grow a taste for the high life and proper edicate. With Cygnet being mostly a farming town with loads of holiday homes, Luis started to kinda dislike the Working Class Beach Town that Cygnet had become. Luis had always dreamed of being a rich Puffin who hosted balls and talked to people with a proper etiquette. A lot of this taste came from his Grandparents and their stories of how they’d host dignitaries and important people at their house back in the day and his Grandmother’s insistence that Luis act like a proper gentleman around the house. With this somewhat clashing with his background, This would make Luis a bit of an outcast in town. Mostly seen as the weird kid who acted like a British Butler in the eyes of the townsfolk. This would mean that Luis didn’t have many friends growing up and the ones he did have, He’d end up driving mad with his eccentricities. This would only start to somewhat change once Luis started to become a main part of his local team in Kingston. Luis would show himself to be a natural in the Rover position. Thanks to his small size and his ability to pick up the Ground Ball Gets with ease, He slotted into Kingston’s squad very easily and very quickly established himself as one of the most dangerous midfielders in Tasmania. Luis gave Kingston a massive advantage in Ruck Contests. His ability to get Clearances was second to none and made trying to stop him quite hard. The opposition would need to tag Luis almost every minute and make sure to keep him out of the contest, Otherwise the Puffin would get the ball and get it to one of his teammates. While this would make Luis a local celebrity and make him a name that a lot of people wanted to meet, He’d very quickly turn a lot of those same people off with his stuffy attitude and leave with a reputation of being a great footy player on the field but a great pain to deal with off the field. Still, For Luis. He was just happy to be finally noticed for more than his stuffiness. Luis has now put his name into the FAFL Draft Pool and his hoping that his talent can get him somewhere where he’ll be able to live out his dreams of being a Lord with a Manor but that dream might just create the reality where no-one really likes being his teammate… Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#384 Name: Tahlia Longhurst Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Australian Tree Snake Height: 185cm Weight: 85kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: March 11, 2006 Hometown: Hahndorf, South Australia Junior Club: Glenelg (SANFFL) Playing Position: Wing/Back Pocket Player Background: Growing up in the small town of Hahndorf in the Adelaide Hills comes an Australian Tree Snake that loves playing footy and loves messing around with old tech. Tahila Longhurst might like looking at the old technology that didn’t quite stand the test of time. She's hoping to make an impact in the FAFL that will last a long time. Living in a small town in the Adelaide Hills like Hahndorf can be a bit of a weird experience. You get the small town vibes by living in what can be best described as a village but also have the access of a big city by being only 30 kms away from the major city of Adelaide. It meant that someone like Tahila growing up wouldn’t have much to do at home and around her but could easily get the things she wanted. This would lead to her having a hyperfixation on the hobbies and passions she had. With Footy being one of the only social activities that Tahila could do consistently in Hahndorf and her family’s garage being filled to the brim with old technology, She couldn’t help but fall in love with the both of them. Weekend mornings would be filled with playing footy before the afternoons would be filled with tinkering with old tech. It was absolute paradise for a young Tahila. While Weekends were a great time for Tahila, The weekdays were perhaps the opposite for her. Being interested in old technology would make her a bit of an outcast with her peers. While most people were trying to get the new tech along with following the new trends, Tahila liked to stick with what she had and normally tended to avoid trends. This would lead to Tahila becoming known around her social circles as the quirky kid in town and struggled to make many close friends in Hahndorf. This would continue until Tahila was able to start heading into Adelaide more often as she grew up. Tahila would start to make friends based on her interests as she went into Adelaide to either watch the Butcherbirds play or to go to meet-ups for enthusiasts of old tech. Finally having some friends that shared the same interests as her would help Tahila with her confidence and as her confidence grew, So did her talent. When Tahila started playing for Hahndorf as a kid, The Australian Tree Snake would find that while she would have the enthusiasm to play footy. She perhaps didn’t have the confidence in herself to go through with setting up plays or to allow herself to take the lead in situations that looked a bit risky but if pulled off, Could give her team great opportunities to score. This was because of her lack of friends in Hahndorf and not wanting to risk alienating any of the few people in town who would actually take the effort to have conversations with her. Once she started to make the friendships that she was lacking in Hahndorf in Adelaide, Tahila finally built up the confidence to set plays up in the midfield and take the lead in situations that involved a bit of risk with ball handling. Slowly but surely, Tahila was now building up a reputation for her ability to be a line breaker who sliced through opponents with ease and could find open targets that other players would ignore. This would get Tahila noticed by the Glenelg Football Club in the SANFFL. They wanted to bring her into the club and give her a shot at being their Back Pocket player. Tahila was confused due to the fact that she had mainly played as a Winger to that point. She wasn’t used to playing as a defender but due to her skills at finding open targets, Glenelg thought that Tahila could work as a Back Pocket for them that could handle the kick outs and be able to keep the ball out of the hands of opposing forwards. Tahila was hesitant but with the longing to leave Hahndorf for Adelaide and the fact that this move could get her another step closer to the big time, She would take her chance by accepting the offer and by the start of the upcoming season, She was playing for Glenelg as a Defender. Her start for the team would be kinda rough as while she was able to show signs of what made her good at Hahndorf, She would struggle to play defensive football. It was starting to look like the move wasn’t going to work out and either Glenelg were going to have to play Tahila in the midfield again or Tahila was going to have to go back to Hahndorf and try again to get the attention of another team to give her a shot. However, As the season continued to progress. Tahila started to get the hang of playing defensive football and showed that she could handle playing in the backline as an intercept defender. While it looked like Tahila was going to fully set herself up as an Intercept Defender, Longhurst would catch a big break when one of Glenelg’s wingers went down with a season-ending injury. Tahila would be slotted into her preferred position of being on the Wing and start to show the broader footballing world just how good she was as a Winger where she would stay for the rest of her time at Glenelg. While Defence isn’t her main strong suit, Her time at Back Pocket has shown that she can play pretty well in that position too and go down back if any team needed her to. After one more year at Glenelg where Tahlia was able to apply her skills as a midfielder and shine more often as a player, she has put her name into the FAFL Draft and is hoping to be selected. She might be geeky, but she might just be one of the friendliest players you’ll ever meet! Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#385 Name: Monica Boone Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Black-Tailed Gull Height: 185cm Weight: 86kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: December 21, 2005 Hometown: Coolangatta, Queensland Junior Club: Robina (QSFFL) Playing Position: Centre/Centre Half Forward Player Background: The Hodgson Family has been making a big impact in the furry sporting world as of late. Sammi Hodgson has of course become a linch-pin player for the Cairns Corals since being drafted by them 2 seasons ago and Marina Hodgson has been finding her way in the FBA as a member of the Tennessee Moonshiners. Also tied up with the Hodgson family is a family friend of theirs in Monica Boone and while that might not seem like much without context, The more you learn, The Hodgsons and Boones are as thick as thieves. Growing up in Coolangatta, Monica had pretty much known Marina’s side of the family from birth. In fact, Her and Marina had kinda grown up as friends. More so friends of necessity due to the both of them struggling to make friends on their own accords. The main reason that the both had known each other was due to the fact that their parents both co-owned a Fish and Chip Shop together. Both Monica’s father and Marina’s father had been best friends growing up and that continued into adulthood. To the point that the both of them decided to follow their joint passions of food and open up a Fish and Chip Shop together. While things were a little tough for them starting off the store, They started to build up a reputation for great Fish and Chips and before long, Had established themselves as the best Fish and Chips in Coolangatta and made themselves local icons. With this all happening around both Marina and Monica growing up, The both of them would spend a lot of time together as their father’s did stuff for the store. While the both of them weren’t the closest friends, They did bond over several things the both had in common with each other. Including a shared passion for the franchise of Bytemon. This friendship would continue as the two grew up and as Marina started playing Basketball, Monica would be there to support her as she made her journey through the FBL and finally to the FBA. Meanwhile, As Marina was making her journey to the FBA, Monica was starting to make her own journey in another sport. While Marina was never really invested in any sport until she met Laura Reisman in her local card shop, Monica had always had a bit of a love for Aussie Rules Footy. Growing up not too far away from the Gold Coast meant it was pretty easy for the Seagull to follow the Dragons. Boone could be seen with her parents in the crowd at Carrara pretty often over the years. In fact, She was there for some of the most notable games to have happened there. The time that the Dragons came from 62 points down at 3QT to win against Melbourne, The Second Semi-Final win in 2018 to send them on their way to their first ever premiership win and their classic Preliminary Final win against Cairns in 2022. Through those moments and more, Monica was there. This would develop her love for the sport and set up her dream of wanting to play in the FAFL. With the Boone family being pretty well known in the area, Monica had a plethora of clubs lining up to bring her onto their team. Most of this was due to the potential for sponsorship money from the family and Monica knew this. She just wanted to get her foot in the door. The team that would eventually snap her up and her family’s sponsorship dollars would be Robina who were willing to give Monica the chances she needed to be able to find her place in the team. It took a little bit but after a while, Both Robina and Monica had found their footing and the position that she could fit in with. Most of the time, Monica would play in the Centre, Being the link-up between the defence and the forward line with her ability to go up the guts and move the ball through the middle with ease with sharp handballs and precision kicking. When she wasn’t playing in the Centre however, The team would move her to Centre Half-Forward and watch as she was able to set up plays in the forward line and be the kind of Centre Half-Forward that didn’t kick a lot of goals but did a lot of them up. Her ability to read the field of play and find someone open is second to none. No matter where Robina played Monica, She seemed to make herself a massive part of the team’s spine. Not too long into the 2023 season, Monica had let it be known that she was going to be putting her name into the FAFL Draft and giving it her best shot at the top level. While she might have a love for the family business, She has plenty of time to come back and run it in the future. The opportunity to play in the FAFL is once in a lifetime and this was an opportunity that Monica was going to take with both wings, Hoping for a long and fruitful career. The type of career that can not only be talked about at length with a good friend but the type of a career that can make you stand out next to your good friend. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#386 Name: Paulina Hadley Nickname: Junkyard Bitch Gender: Female Species: Dobermann Height: 186cm Weight: 88kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: November 16, 2005 Hometown: Banbury, Western Australia Junior Club: North Fremantle (WAFFA) Playing Position: Half Back Flank Player Background: Aussie Rules can be a physical sport to play at the best of times. All the Marks, Bumps and Tackles can leave even the hardest player winded sometimes. But imagine if you will, What would happen when you throw a player who is willing to go into every contest hard and is willing to leave their opponent feeling worse for wear by the end of the night? You don’t need to imagine that folks because Paulina Hadley brings that intensity and hardness in every game she plays. There’s a very good reason she’s nicknamed the “Junkyard Bitch”. As a pup, Paulina Hadley built up a reputation of being a bit of a problem child and an angry pup. Always getting into fights with other kids and showing her anger at the world, Paulina wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with. Almost always getting into trouble at School and being a juvenile delinquent, It was recommended to her that she needed to find an outlet to control her anger that had become a massive problem not only for her but the rest of her school. She would tell the councillor who had been talking to her and had been dealing with her for a few years at that point that she didn't see the point as her family life was broken and her parents didn't really care about what she did and it didn't matter if she did anything or not. Things would stay the same… It was then the councillor suggested to Paulina that it would be best if she played for the School team and that she had been assigned to it. Paulina objected to it but with her parents being ok with it and having given their permission. (Mainly for the reason it kept Paulina away from the house.) She couldn't get out of it and would now be playing footy for the school… At first, She was incredibly abrasive and hard for the coach to deal with… In fact, That never really changed… But after a while, The freedom she was given in terms of how she wanted to train and play would make her at least want to play instead of actively trying to be a nuisance in an attempt to get out of playing. To take advantage of her angry attitude and her want to take people on, Paulina was put on the Half Back Flank to start off with. Almost immediately, It was the right move for Paulina as she was able to not only take out her anger by keeping the ball away from her opponents and laying hard tackles but the team was able to use her ability to be a pest to people she didn’t like to their advantage by making her play close to her opponents all the time. Causing her opponents to be thrown off their game. It took a while but Paulina started to have fun with her role of being the team’s rabble-rouser and trouble maker. Being able to get away with being a pain towards opponents was a breath of fresh air for her. Not only was she allowed to get angry but it was encouraged. She was being given a place where she could just take out all the anger and pain she had and put it into something productive. It honestly gave Paulina a freedom she hadn’t really felt ever. It allowed her to clear her mind and gave her the ability to focus on some passions she had really wanted to focus on. Paulina had always had the interest in trying to fix things that had already been broken and turn them into art pieces that expressed how she felt. Until she had found Footy, She had mainly been unable to have the patience to truly finish any of the pieces she attempted to start. That changed once she found enjoyment in playing footy and getting her emotional release. After a while, She was known to trawl the local scrapyard for old bits of metal, car parts and all sorts of things. This would slowly lead to Paulina gaining the nickname “Junkyard Bitch”. A name that Paulina was surprisingly cool with. Maybe because it fit with the kind of attitude she brought. Finally, It seemed like Paulina’s life was finally stable somewhat and she was happy about that. After having to deal with a bad family life and her anger with what she had been given in this life had taken a lot out of her. It just felt good to just be happy with where she was in life. It almost seemed like a dream after everything she had been through… However, things would not end there. Her aggressive style of play had gotten her noticed by scouts of the North Fremantle Football Club in the WAFFA. If everything being stable in her life was like a dream, Paulina thought she had fallen into a coma after she found out that North Fremantle wanted her to play for them. There’s no way they could have wanted a troubled kid like herself? She had been the abrasive, angry kid who just broke everything in sight? How could she be the one that they wanted? But despite Paulina’s disbelief, North Fremantle did want her and they wanted her to bring the same type of game she brought in Banbury. Paulina couldn’t turn this offer down and she was soon finding herself being a menace to the forwards of the WAFFA. As a lot of her play style had been refined, The WAFFA was just a bigger stage to show how much she could annoy and pester her opponents. It worked just as well as she was able to get some of the biggest names in WA football sucked in and focused on trying to stop her instead of focusing on winning the game. Her play at North Fremantle would finally get major eyeballs on Paulina. How had North Fremantle been able to find this talent that hadn’t even been on their radars? I guess it pays to look everywhere, Including the school team you’d been told had this kid who had what it took huh? With things looking up and Footy looking like a decent career path for Paulina to help set up her other passions, She has now entered her name into the FAFL Draft. Hopefully the FAFL World is ready for her. She might be a pain for whoever drafts her but she’ll be an even bigger pain to whoever she’s playing on… And that’s something that her future team will be banking on. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#387 Name: Kwa Jun Feng Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Binturong Height: 179cm Weight: 75kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: December 7, 2003 Hometown: Singapore Junior Club: International Recruit (Singapore) Playing Position: Forward Pocket Player Background: While Singapore might be one of the first places you think about when it comes to locations in Asia, It’s not exactly the first place you think of in terms of being a location where Australian Footballers come from but thanks to the growing presence of the FAFL Asia Cup and it being a place that fosters talent, There’s the chance that Singapore might become the next hotbed for talent. Hoping to lead the way is Kwa Jun Feng, A Binturong who might be more of a recent adopter of the sport but is hoping that his story will inspire other athletes from Singapore to give the game a shot. Growing up playing Soccer, Kwa Jun was always the type who liked to score and liked to do trick shots when training. The Binturong always showed a bit of creativity when it came to the way he played. Always liking to put a bit of flair into the way he moved with the ball and in the way he would finish off his attempts at goals. This would get him attention locally due to the flashy style of play he had but it would also get on the nerves of his coach who was always telling him to tone down his style and just focus on the fundamentals. This would lead to ahead when Kwa Jun blew a very important shot at goal one game while trying to pull off a spectacular piece of play. His coach would chew him out after the game, Calling Kwa Jun the reason why they had lost the game and if he could just get it through his skull that he shouldn’t do his flashy style of play, His team would be a lot better. Kwa Jun would not take this lightly as he would get in his coach’s face and tell him that his style of play was a way of life for him. A way to express himself to the world through the magic of football and that if he couldn’t handle that, He was going to leave and hang up his boots. His coach would dare him to do it and Kwa Jun quit on the spot, Having had enough of dealing with the deteriorating relationship between the two. With Kwa Jun out of a team and the reports of him walking out after having a spat with his coach likely to keep other teams away, Kwa Jun was now having to focus on finding another sport he could play where he could express himself. The search was long and mostly fruitless until Kwa Jun happened to stumble on a news story about the FAFL Asia Cup and the fact that a player who had competed in it had just been drafted No. 1 in the FAFL Draft. Kwa Jun was impressed with the sport he saw. It would allow him to still kick goals while also having the freedom of being creative encouraged. Kwa Jun would almost instantly try to find the address for the national team of Singapore and then track them down in the coming days. Kwa Jun would demand a try-out to make the team which normally would lead to someone getting brushed off by the team. However, Considering that Singapore didn’t exactly have a big player pool, They couldn’t exactly be choosy about who they picked. So they gave Kwa Jun his tryout and they were impressed with his footwork and his ability to get around defenders. However, His tackling and physicality needed work. But those were things that could come in time and Kwa Jun was given a walk-on start with the national team. Most of Kwa Jun’s time with Singapore would be training and drills as they got ready to play other countries in the Asia Cup like China, Japan, Thailand and others. Singapore themselves had been pretty middle of the pack. Not as bad as the likes of Laos or Macau but certainly not on the level of Japan, Thailand or Indonesia. Singapore would need some X-Factor if they were going to make a jump up the rankings and Kwa Jun could provide that in spades. As soon as the Asia Cup started for 2023, Kwa Jun immediately made his mark. Kicking a bag of 4 goals along with showing off his skills of being able to outmaneuver his opponents in their first game of the tournament against Malaysia, Singapore were already pinned to be big improvers of the tournament thanks to Kwa Jun. The following matches would show that Kwa Jun had that X-Factor ability in the forward line that could turn a game on it’s head. Kwa Jun didn’t need to have much of the ball to have an impact. He just needed to score and that’s exactly what he did. By the end of the group stage, He had already set himself up as the tournament’s leading goalscorer and had sent Singapore to the knockout stage. While Kwa Jun would keep showing off his abilities, Singapore would be knocked out in the Semis. An improvement on previous years but still not exactly the miracle run the team were hoping for by the knockout stage. However, This performance would get Kwa Jun noticed by talent scouts from the FAFL and after a few interviews, Kwa Jun put his name into the FAFL Draft Pool. From what looked like the end of a career a while back had now blossomed into Kwa Jun making it to the professional level, If in a different sport that he was expecting a few years earlier. Kwa Jun is now ready to make his impact in the FAFL and the people who doubt this Binturong are doing it at their own risk as this Binturong is ready to be a shining star. Preferred Player Number: N/A Creator: Bryan Shadowbuck Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#388 Name: Corbyn Crowley Nickname: N/A Gender: Non-Binary Species: Raven Height: 182cm Weight: 83kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: September 13, 2006 Hometown: Adelaide, South Australia Junior Club: Port Adelaide (SANFFL) Playing Position: Full Forward/Half-Forward Flank Player Background: Corbyn is a simple raven. A lover of history. Especially when it comes to sports. This interest in Australian rules football would grow to be more than just a piece of history they were learning. In fact, they wanted to be a part of it. Corbyn would eventually join the junior clubs once they were old enough, slowly counting down the years until they could finally be a part of the FAFL. While slightly undersized for their role, they make up for it in speed. Preferred Player Number: 46 Creator: Toasty Thylacine Star Rating: *** ¼ (3.25 Stars) DC#389 Name: Hunter Valentine Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Velociraptor Height: 176cm Weight: 82kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: February 7, 2004 Hometown: Rosewood, NC, USA Junior Club: International Recruit (United States) Playing Position: Centre Half Forward/Wing Player Background: A rather subtle style of a stud and charmer, Some say Hunter always had the charmed life... Admittedly however, much of Hunter's adolescence was mostly spent on the social fringes, known for being funny at times but hard to really get close to. Humorous yet awkward, kind but lacking confidence in himself. Much as he always took care of himself physically, he seemed to struggle with it on other levels be it mentally or emotionally. It was obvious his confidence was always gonna need to be worked at and on. Be it through theater, gaming clubs, or even a little physical activity Hunter slowly began to grow into his mould of that active, lovable, cool nerd if you will. Just as likely as you could find him running on the track, you could see him settling in for a long night of board gaming with a couple good buddies at his local coffee shop. Something pretty much no one could have guessed was when he tried out on a whim for the US-FAFL. The Raleigh Lightning, a newer team in the somewhat fledgling league to sell the localized sport overseas. Attractive to athletes who were never the highest teir in their respective sports since a lot of skills could find use in the oval. Hunter's quick wit and excellent speed made him quite the menace for defenses to figure out, using his prowess to outwit and out maneuver the usually larger backs in the middle of the inner 50. Whether he was punching through the half line for a quick kick or breaking away from a pack for a clean shot Hunter has no problem showing off how deep his bag of tricks is, even to the point where he'd get pulled onto the wing playing as both a playmaker and hidden forward. Yet he's always grounded and incredibly humble about it, usually thanking whoever got him the footy on the play they brought up before gassing himself up. It's this manner of attitude and mindset that would lead to Hunter staying in the states for a while and really building the Lightning up before even giving the FAFL itself a look. Much as he was courted to put his name forth he wanted to wait until he was truly ready. An announcement he made at his 21st birthday as they would toast to Hunter's olderday. Promising of course to fly as many of his old teammates and friends in to watch him work his magic with the footy and repay them in kind for the kindness they'd given to him in his life. Preferred Player Number: 19 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#390 Name: Susie Shaw Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Brushtail Possum Height: 193cm Weight: 90kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: October 10, 2005 Hometown: Cooma, NSW Junior Club: Wagga Wagga (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Centre Half-Back/Half-Back Flank Player Background: The simple life, living in the chill little town of Cooma and all it's intrinsic if slightly hokey charm from the old buildings to the Mosaic Time Walk. It's been the life of the Shaw Family. Especially for little Susie. Susie grew up as a rather reserved kid. Filling her days with the usual sorts of things from flowers and drawing to cartoons and whatnot. Susie never cared much for the spotlight, liking to be herself in the neat little world of her own imagination. A simple stick was a sword, a tent with a couple box towers was her castle, fair to say in her early days the whole world was just magic. It wasn't until she found one of her greatest treasures in her little adventures, an old yellow footy ball in her mind being a nugget of Star Ore. While in game, Susie kept it under careful watch under the cake plate treated like a protective case guarded by magical wards but out of it she began to see her own capabilities with it. The real inciting incident was when she was heckled by bullies, who refused to give it back...until she spoiled the ball in their passes and won the scramble for it. She was pulled away from said bullies by a good samaritan who happened to be a coach for Wagga Wagga. After asking if she was okay, Susie got told if she could keep spoiling and fighting for the ball like that she could have a future. Even if as light hearted encouragement, Susie seemed to take it to heart. As the years went on, Susie grew up healthy and strong. Even with her love of pretending and wonder she learned how to ground herself for footy. To a team in need of talent like Wagga Wagga, the big brushtail possum was a boon in quite the line of boons for them. Even among other established names on Wagga Wagga's squad, Susie managed to carve out her own niche as a prime playbreaker with her knack for spoiling mark contests and securing the footy in a pack. Her personal blend of size and speed allowed her to make any half forward's day a hard one when she could zero in on them. She'd also grown a keen sense for playing help defense, for when any of her friends in the back 50 need a hand. Games have always been a part of life for Susie, and by chance she managed to fall into one that could possibly get her on one of the land's biggest stages. Preferred Player Number: 10 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#391 Name: Lionela Thompson Nickname: Crafter Gender: Female Species: Raccoon Height: 180cm Weight: 71kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: March 3, 2006 Hometown: Queens, NY Junior Club: International Recruit (United States) Playing Position: Wing/Half Forward Flank Player Background: From one jungle of concrete to another, Lionela's always been an expert on making it where there's seemingly little give. Initially born and raised in the bustling heart of NYC, Lionela knew the dance of the daily routine. From bus rides back to back to cutting through smaller side streets, she knew how to get around and about as well as dodge danger. One of her more infamous moments came from her having lunch on the bus, scraping out a peanut butter jar in front of everyone on their commutes. Another knack of hers was finding lost gems among the trash in the streets. From broken items she'd learn to fix up to legit valuables it was small stuff like this Lionela took personal pride in. From forgotten and left to rot to being cherished and treasured, it was one of the simpler but more fulfilling things in her life. Little did she know how she'd keep on that trend with her discovering Footy. The scene for it was actually decent in size least by American standards, metropolitan area boost for more niche things not withstanding. Eyes for the smaller things and detail made her a great fit in the midfield, able to make unexpected plays and really open up games in ways no one would think. Not to mention, according to her teammates she's about the best person in the locker room with her many gifts from her found treasures personalized to each of them best she knew them. Many of her father's business ventures did leave her spending some time in Australia, often weeks at a time. It did lead to interesting opportunities for Lionela, even beyond having new spots to look for abandoned treasures...such as seeing some of Collingwood's state league games and even getting to bump elbows with some of it's players like Josh Ingram. Lionela could keep up well in conversations especially about the sport with them, which fair to say caught some of them offguard in her knowledge. It did let her pick up techniques and whatnot from these players through the years which she used to enhance her own game back home for the New York Butcherbirds. From learning to kick in smaller windows to how to power through tackles, it made what she had even better. When asked how she learned to boot it big like that she answered 'From a big cheetah back in Collingwood.' with a grin and a wink. Eventually this evolved into her getting some recommendations from international scouts and whispers she could have a future on the game's biggest stage. Something that dazzled her, even with her already living in the city that shines so bright. Her and all of her shiny treasures that her teammates without a doubt will cherish as much as her contributions to a team. Preferred Player Number: 14 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: *** ½ Stars (3.5 Stars) DC#392 Name: Bronte Nye Nickname: Bron Gender: Male Species: Bull Shark Height: 213cm Weight: 125kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: December 5, 2006 Hometown: Jindabyne, NSW Junior Club: Wagga Wagga (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Full Back Player Background: Born in the small tourist town on the shores of Lake Jindabyne, one would think that Bronte grew up with a simple life, but it really couldn’t be any further from the truth. Born as an only child to an upper-middle class family, Bronte was kind of born with a silver spoon in his teeth and spent his school years in a private school, under the thumb of his father’s strict discipline. Because of this he was forced into doing some activities that he wasn’t necessarily keen on, at first, the main one being equestrian sports. His father bought him a horse when he was 12 and put him into lessons at his school. Much to Bronte’s surprise, this was one activity he got forced into that he actually enjoyed; the strong bond between horse and rider and the freedom of being in the saddle seemed to help ground him. When he reached puberty, though, Bronte had had enough of his father’s constant criticism and nagging. The good boy turned bad. He started acting out and lashing out; from tearing the sleeves from his school uniform, to getting his headfin pierced, Bronte was done being the perfect son. And despite his appearances, the shark kept up with his school work, and continued his equestrian training (more for his own love of the sport than his father’s). But his overall attitude between less approachable, more aggressive, and part of him revelled in the horror it caused on his father’s face. Not long after this all started, when he was around 14 (2020), the school counselor decided to pull him in for a talk; the school had tried to expel him, but the fact of the matter was that he was a good student, and one of their best young equestrians. And his parents were good at flashing money at the dean to keep him from getting the boot. Although he didn’t say much about why he was suddenly acting out, the counselor gave him a suggestion; maybe he needed a place to vent this aggressive energy. Her idea? Aussie-rules football. The school’s coach had been reluctant to take on another player, especially one that had not played up through the years, but was eventually convinced to let the shark run some drills with the team, deciding to slip him into the defense given his size for his age. Bronte didn’t know too much about the game, knowing more about rugby than footy, so he just sort of shrugged and took his rugby knowledge and used that to the best of his ability. And…he actually rather impressed the coach with his steadfastness, his attitude, and even his aggression. He was permitted on the team on a probationary period, to see if the coach could actually mold him into a proper player. Bronte wasn’t sure how keen he was for this, but as long as it wouldn’t get in the way of his equestrian training he was down to give it a shot. And it was this shot that would change his life forever. Within a year, he was already shaping up into one heck of a defensive player; despite his hard-headedness, the coach found ways to work with him and get him to cooperate with the team as a whole. Given another year, and more growth, he had become a full back that nobody wanted to mess with, standing taller than most other players on the field and already filling out to broad shoulders and chest. At 16 (2022), he was scouted by Wagga Wagga as the team was desperate for new backline talent and he was proving to show a lot of potential for the game. Bronte was more than happy to go; it got him away from his parents and he even found a stable nearby to board his horse. He quickly proved to the Wagga Wagga staff that he was a determined, hard-working young man, just with a bit of a temper issue. But that year, Wagga Wagga made it to the grand final, but failed to win but kept it a close game with the help of their new back line talent. In 2023, at the age of 17, Bronte was selected for the New South Wales team for the state representative game that year, a high honour for a player that hadn’t been playing all that long in the grand scheme of things. But even in that game, playing against the best of the best (and being considered the best of the best himself), Bronte shone as bright as Aussie gold, marking up 3 tackles and 5 Rebound 50s during the game, and proving that Wagga Wagga had finally found some talent for their pool. At the end of his 2023 season, Bronte was selected for the FAFL draft pool and…he couldn’t be more thrilled with himself. If a team out there wants a talented challenge to fill their back line, this shark is one to want. Preferred Player Number: 66 Creator: RobbieSox Star Rating: ***** (5 Stars) DC#393 Name: Carson Lachlan Nickname: The Lance Gender: Male Species: Sambar Deer Height: 208cm Weight: 114kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: February 15, 2006 Hometown: Tooradin, Victoria Junior Club: Dandenong (VFFA D1) Playing Position: Centre Half-Forward/Centre Half-Back Player Background: Born and raised in what some might call a backwater outside of Melbourne, with two siblings ahead of him and four behind, one can never say that Carson had a boring life in his youth. With his mother being the bread-winner, the young buck grew up hunting and fishing with his father, wrestling and playing their own version of various physical sports in their backyard with his siblings, and camping in the wilderness. Carson attended public school in a Melbourne suburb, proving to be a bit of a brawler for being an ungulate, not really enough for him to get into trouble but enough for it to be noticed by his family and a few teachers. Eventually, his mom decided to see if there was something that could be done, some way to help him expend that more aggressive energy he seemed to sport. After some thought, she pulled Carson aside and suggested he should try out for some school sports. At first, he was a little taken aback by the suggestion, but the fact of the matter was that he loved his mother. And he didn’t want to disappoint her. So, he tried out for a couple of teams. Basketball was no good; he was constantly getting fouled for body-checking. Cricket? God no. If the uniforms weren’t enough to turn him off, the fact that he couldn’t swing the bat at somebody’s head was kinda disappointing (and with how boring the game was, you can’t blame him for wanting to smash in somebody’s skull). Swimming? He was a strong swimmer, and the coach actually wanted him on the team, but it was just too boring! Where’s the fun in swimming back and forth across a pool?! After what felt like a hundred different sports, he finally stumbled into the school’s U12 footy tryouts. And holy crap. He felt like he’d found his home. Fast-paced, aggressive…it was amazing. Still being on the smaller side at only 11 years old it was clear he had plenty of room to grow, but for the start of his young footy career he was placed into the front line positions. His coach took advantage of his speed and agility while they could, knowing that the young buck would likely outgrow those positions. And sure enough, by the time he hit 14, he was already a head and neck taller than most other front line players. His coach tried to stretch him on that front line a little longer, but it soon became clear that his size and strength would be better served elsewhere. In 2022, Dandenong happened to stumble across word of a promising young buck playing in the Tooradin U18. A young buck with power, agility, and strength in even measure. Curiosity piqued, they sent a scout to watch a game and, sure enough, there was Carson. Racking up kicks, handily collecting marks, and even making the game-winning goal. The very next day, the buck was called into his coach’s office for a conversation; he was being offered a position with Dandenong. He had to think over it for a couple days, talk to his mom and dad, but with his family’s encouragement he soon rang up the junior team and took them up on their offer. Once on the team, Carson mainly kept to his position of center half-forward, but here and there he was swapped into center half-back (his new coach said they had to take full advantage of his size and athleticism when necessary) and proved to be equally as effective there as in his main position. Although he never saw any huge, important wins with Dandenong, he still proved to be a powerhouse for the team and his coach very-much encouraged him to carry the torch when FAFL scouts reached out. So now Carson is in the FAFL draft, waiting to see what life is going to bring for him. Preferred Player Number: 13 Creator: RobbieSox Star Rating: **** ¾ (4.75 Stars) DC#394 Name: Fred Dale Nickname: Free Dale, Mr. Generic Gender: Male Species: Red Fox Height: 190cm Weight: 100kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: September 5, 2003 Hometown: Cleveland, Ohio Junior Club: International Recruit (United States) Playing Position: Centre Half-Forward Player Background: Often described as stereotypical to a fault, down to the name (though that's not exactly his fault), Fred Dale boasts a vanilla personality. Spouting one-liners that feel more like quips from an action movie than an actual conversation, he is definitely easy to talk to, but beyond his appearances, at least on the surface, there isn't much else. Which isn't exactly a bad thing. Son to a rather standard set of parents in a Cleveland suburb, he'd take up American football as his high school sport, painted as a rising star that could explode in the FCAA… until the start of his senior year, which was when his school spent much money on exhibiting other sports for their students to take up. (Rumors abound that this was a pragmatic move to get ahead of other schools by establishing themselves as elites in sports that didn't have much of a local presence compared to football and basketball.) One such sport was Australian football, and while the other sports booths had at worst a small line of interested onlookers, this one had no takers, no visitors. The fox noticed this right away and, on a whim, signed up to learn ""this exotic thing"" on the fly. When later questioned why he did it, Fred simply said, ""I was told that it's good to help folks down on their luck."" He later found out that the footy organizer was an Australian expat who had nothing but pure passion for the game but understandably found herself in a city that wasn't exactly aware of it, which only softened his heart for what was to come. While running around in a field full of strangers from another country playing a sport that came from another country would scare off most people, it didn't faze Fred one bit. He'd soon enjoy the massive amounts of sprinting across the field, joining the raucous packs fighting for the ball, and shaking off defenders on a one-way ticket to the goal posts, finally carving for himself a role as full-forward. The consequence of this, however, was that he felt the responsibility to follow up on his newfound passion. He tried to juggle both sports, to no avail, and after much discussion with friends and family, Fred would attempt to blaze his own trail by fully pursuing footy. In a way, ""helping folks down on their luck"" seemed to be the unintentional (if sometimes patronizing) mantra of his subsequent years. Joining a domestic US team, Fred knew he was far from the national spotlight especially when he saw his old high school classmates perform well in college football, but he'd been encouraged by all to not be bothered by anyone else's journey. When he learned rather late that he could apply for the draft in Australia, he decided to just do that this year, saying, ""I'd like to help just as I'm thankful all my teams been helping me. Pros: American football experience has given him a decent headstart in quick sprints and in catching the ball over long distances; can elbow out defenders with ease. Is quite sociable. Cons: Handball can use some improvement; rough style of play may end up gifting the other team free kicks. May need time to get used to the more free-flowing environment of footy versus American football. Too reliant on set-in-stone strategies and so far is not that adaptable should a tactic go awry. Preferred Player Number: 20 Creator: CommaWriter Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#395 Name: Veyonce Literal Nickname: N/A Gender: Female Species: Luzon bleeding-heart Height: 215cm Weight: 110kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: June 6, 2003 Hometown: Valenzuela, The Philippines Junior Club: International Recruit (Philippines) Playing Position: Full Back/Back Pocket Player Background: Rough and gritty, as if always looking for a fight: Veyonce Literal has already made it this far on her own strength, so making a mid-career switch of sport shouldn't be a problem, right? While she grew up in rather calm Valenzuela, she knew about the living conditions of other parts of the Philippines' capital. While her family did indeed love her and did their best to provide for her future, there lingered that subconscious sense that those she saw on the streets would have to do extra hard just to attain a fraction of her privilege. Understanding that, she followed some of her friends early on in school to their home and just hung out, which led to her playing street basketball with them. There, on a poorly maintained court where falling on the floor could really bruise you, things felt real and raw and honest. There were no referees, no rules beyond the bare basics. She'd take this mentality into her high school games, then trying out for the highest division of college basketball, which she passed with flying colors, maintaining both the academic and physical fortitude to outlast the four years of her Economics course as a student-athlete… all while helping her college enter the finals during every year of her stay (and nabbing two championships as well). However, there was a taste of bitter in the sweet of her championship runs: her style as a center was aggressive to a fault, fighting for the ball (sometimes literally), elbowing opponents out for fouls, and boasting of an explosive personality both on and off the court, always toeing the line between trash talk and getting suspended by her college for unsportsfurship… and at times, that would work, baiting her counterpart into a rage that would make them commit crucial errors. This would dog her into her professional years, where the lottery team she was drafted into in the country's top-flight league was, season by season, dragged from the basement into the semifinals or even the finals, kicking and screaming, thanks to her heroics… only for those playoff runs to end with a sweep by well-rounded teams, earning her the ire of the media who believed this wondergirl was too much trouble for the league to handle, what with her incessant fouls and arguments that nevertheless were swept under the rug by her performance. So it took everyone by surprise when she declared that she was leaving not just her team but also the league as a whole, publicly citing that, upon reflection, both she and the league would end up in a better place if they parted ways, agreeing to send half of her total professional earnings to her team as compensation. What she would do with the other half was to purchase a place to live in some far off corner of the globe: Australia. Right before announcing her retirement, she'd gotten in touch with a fellow league player who happened to be an Aussie import; he told her that she could start a new life in not just another country but also another sport. She could take her chances in the combine and see if she could get drafted in the FAFL, and if not, she could always try out for some junior club. After months of putting in that hustler mentality—studying the sport, practicing for it, getting into rec leagues—she plans to just show up at the combine and turn over a new leaf, although to be fair, it is difficult to run from the past, especially in the age of social media… Hopefully, Veyonce Literal can lift her teammates up, not drag them by the neck to success. Pros: Supreme on getting her team free kicks as well as on tackling and spoiling. For what it's worth, is good at forcing enemy attackers to commit errors and get her own team free kicks. Cons: Has a short temper, gets upset when others on her team produce on her level with less ""hustle"" than hers. Can be a rules-lawyer. Preferred Player Number: 31 Creator: CommaWriter Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#396 Name: Ed Tanaka II Nickname: N/A Gender: Male Species: Bighorn Sheep Height: 187cm Weight: 104kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: December 8, 2004 Hometown: Fremantle, WA Junior Club: North Fremantle (WAFFA) Playing Position: Half-Back Flank/Back Pocket Player Background: Although not born in Australia, Ed's family moved to Western Australia when he was a young sheep. His father, Ed (senior), opened a fishery on the port and runs a well-known restaurant in the city named Big Ed's Wayfarers. Surrounded by televisions airing games in the restaurant, Ed Jr. immediately took interest in the national sport - though he was more keen on learning the ins and outs of the game than trying to play it. At home he'd sit in front of the computer screen catching videos on the web of game recaps and wondering how anyone could kick so far, so hard, so well... That would change over time, of course. Ed's nature influenced his gravitation from inside the seafood restaurant to outside by the docks - that meant he'd rather be outside playing than sitting at computers. He'd challenge his younger brother to street games and attend sporting events when his father had the time. But initially it was Ed's analytical mind that attracted coaches, who invited him to the junior club. Levelheadedness underpinned his lack of confidence for what his mother said was too dangerous of a sport. Then again, who was going to challenge those horns? Even so, that business-minded spirit didn't pass on to his generation, either. A free thinker, the younger sheep wanted to perform and create rather than try to sell someone oysters. Understanding there was no way to win him back, his father gave the okay to pursue his footballer career. In summary, he was an intriguing combination of high intelligence making up for an adequate physical capability. Ed has adequate footing and a great jumping ability due to his species - though his shorter size and thicker build leave him offering more on the defensive side of things. Vowing to work on those matters, he yearns to make a leap into the FAFL. Preferred Player Number: 25 Creator: MadWorld Star Rating: **** ¼ (4.25 Stars) DC#397 Name: Dylan Penley Nickname: Fangs Gender: Male Species: Siberian Tiger Height: 195cm Weight: 102kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: February 28, 2006 Hometown: Tamborine Mountain, Queensland Junior Club: Robina (QSFFL) Playing Position: Full-Forward/Full Back Player Background: Growing up in a small area of the Gold Coast Hinterland called Tamborine Mountain, Queensland. Dylan Penley was brought up on the sport thanks to his Father having a love of the game that went far back to the time he was growing up in Victoria. He started playing competitively at the age of 7. Dylan would join his nearest local club in Robina after a tryout that he chose to do because he wanted to try out the game and thought it looked like it would be more fun than rugby. Dylan was a bit shy and nervous about how the tryout would go but after gaining a bit of confidence, his nerves would ease and would slowly build himself up as a dependable goalkicker. He started playing as a forward during his first season as a 7 year old before being moved to Full Back at the age of 11. With his competitive nature, he’s not afraid to take marks in packs, likes to lead from the front, plays sensibly with teamwork and takes other teammates seriously as he helps them improve. While his first season wasn’t perfect, Dylan would practice until he was exhausted by the end of each session. This would show to his coaches and teammates that he was a loyal and dedicated player Robina despite his shyness and calm personality. His side hobbies off the field include watching and playing other sports, Listening to music with his favorite genres being mainly Rock, Pop, Metal with his fandom of the Eurovision Song Contest being a big part of his passion for Music, Playing video games,with, going shopping for both sports merchandise/video games and staying friends when it comes to his childhood mates. Dylan likes to keep in contact with his friends when he can because they hold an extreme importance to him and because of that, he doesn’t want to lose contact with them and wants them to still be a major part of his life. Dylan tends to be a night owl as he loves enjoying the night life that the Gold Coast has to offer which includes arcades, shopping, and eating Out. The accolades that he won during his time in the Junior Ranks include a Leading Goalscorer Awards he won when he was 13, a Defensive Player of the Year award the season after he moved to the backline and a League Best and Fairest Award in his final season in the QSFFL. Overall he has a great teamwork ethic and puts his teammates first over him and he would risk getting injured to win the ball for his teammates while he takes care of himself when off the field by doing self care and making sure his teammates are okay. Preferred Player Number: 23 Creator: Ultranium Star Rating: **** (4 Stars) DC#398 Name: Sadia Kaeomani Nickname: Pounce Gender: Female Species: Black Footed Cat Height: 170cm Weight: 68kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: July 30, 2004 Hometown: Chiang Mai, Thailand Junior Club: International Recruit (Thailand) Playing Position: Ruck Rover/Centre Player Background: To build a bridge takes a lot, in the literal and metaphoric senses. Sadia never planned to bridge anything together in life but she'd unknowingly bridge a lot of things together. Sadia spent her earliest years in her mother's homeland of Malawi. It was simpler for sure, but there was a lot Sadia would learn to appreciate including the smaller things in life and the value of strong community. The importance of self sufficience and being able to care for ones' self, and not having what you want but taking what you got and making it into what you need. Not the glamourous life but an admirable one with a lot of smiles in between the leaner times. On an average day, Sadia would often be making dolls or repairing canoes. Pretty much anything with her hands, be it practical or more crafty she loves to keep her hands active and moving. From making beautiful things to make someone happy or making someone's life easier with a needed repair to something crucial in their life. Could say the hard work and curiousity also led to quite the active mind as well, figuring out how things worked and different ways to make them work. Those things would eventually lead her to sporting in the name of fun and games. While sure Sadia didn't always seem to process the rules, one thing without a doubt was her propensity for keeping her eye on and chasing the ball. She could win it better than just about anyone, even if they outsized or outmuscled her that pounce and pure speed of hers let her just lock on and take the ball. In her later youth, she'd end up spending most of her year in Thailand, her father's homeland. The bright lights and bustle of Chiang Mai was quite the contrast to her roots in Malawi. Fair to say at first it was overwhelming...A whole new culture to adapt to, another language to learn... It was a bit rocky at first, trying to fit in which only left her longing more and more for her summers back home but Thailand did offer her a opportunity she wouldn't have had otherwise. The Asia Cup... The Asia Cup gave Sadia a way to channel that energy, that pounce, those active hands and whatnot into something more concrete. In a Thailand Dragons team looking for talent Sadia was an intriguing fit. She clicked right into the midfield rotation where unpolished as she was it was hard to deny her keen eye for the ball and the lengths the little cat would go to win it. Her coaches however, had to show her how to give the ball was the main thing. One thing if you win it but not a lot of good if you just hog it. It's when they got that lesson through to Sadia was when she really began to stand out. Able to provide relief in the midfield and learning how to set the offensive end of the field up to succeed. Not to mention how fast she could get the ball out of her paws. It took a few years but Sadia gave those Dragons some of the fire they needed to make another big run at the Asia cup, just as Ahnar Kwang once did with the odds against her. A remarkable feat that got her second homeland to see her positively. And in turn, it was positive for her as well...it helped her put together all the parts that made her who she is, not to mention with the FAFL looking at her she now had another part to make her up...And now on a big stage she'd get to represent both of her homes. And of course...pounce on the ball. Preferred Player Number: 21 Creator: BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: *** ¾ (3.75 Stars) DC#399 Name: Rembrandt Downes Nickname: Remmy Gender: Male Species: Thoroughbred Horse Height: 193cm Weight: 102kg Kicking Foot: Right Birthdate: January 1, 2002 Hometown: Scone, New South Wales Junior Club: Redfern (Sydney FAFL) Playing Position: Centre/Ruckfur Player Background: Born with a silver spoon in his mouth and running in his blood, Rembrandt always knew that he would be an athlete; there was no avoiding it. It was what all his family had done; his father was in the Australian Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame, and his grandfathers were both exceptional racers (with his mother having been in the Top 10 female racers of her day). So it was no surprise that, from a young age, Rembrandt (Remmy to his family and friends) started training to follow in his family’s hoofbeats. Now, Thoroughbred Racing is a different sort of sport than most; most competitors are born into it and start training at a very young age, and start competing seriously quite young as well. So by the time he was five, Remmy was already deep into training. Daily jogs or runs, a carefully catered diet, and fast-twitch muscle training. To some, this would be considered almost cruel, but in Thoroughbred racing families, this was the norm. Especially for a colt like Remmy that showed a lot of promise at a young age. His qualifying race happened when he was 12. This is the race most young Thoroughbreds dread; it’s the race that showed whether they were worthy of actually competing in the sport, or whether they would have to go on to find another sport to follow. But Remmy was confident in his natural skill and his seven years of training, and this confidence proved well-founded when he blew his competitors out of the water, winning his chance to race in the official season. Just a short three weeks later, he was lined up in his very first official race, alongside a bunch of other eager 12 year olds. Each of them was just as eager, just as well-bred and well-trained, as he was. But his focus was on the track ahead and the dirt beneath his hooves. Rembrandt had a glowing racing career, achieving a win record that rivalled his father’s by the time he was just 17. He chose to retire from his racing career at 18, just after he completed high school. And that meant that it was time for him to relax, right? Nope. Not Rembrandt. Athletics were in his blood, and he knew he had to find a new sport to fill the void that racing had left in his heart. So while applying for colleges, he researched the sports played at those colleges as well. Thankfully, he didn’t have to spend too much time searching. As it turns out, many local FAFL junior clubs liked to keep an eye on the Thoroughbred Racing circuit in hopes of finding some young talent to recruit as part of their Section B rookies. And Remmy had caught the eyes of several throughout New South Wales during his racing career. He received recruitment offers from several after having announced his retirement, but ended up choosing to join the Redfern team in Sydney. Although he had no experience in the game, it seemed like a sport he could get behind and, as he always had, he focused hard on his training and learning the game (he had to admit that he’d never even really watched a FAFL game before, always more focused on his training and career at the time). But he proved a quick learner, and took well to his new training and started to learn a few different positions that could utilize his speed and strength, soon settling in as a Centre and Ruck, and training hard for those positions. He spent his first two years with the team with little time spent on the oval, but come the start of his third year, he finally managed to earn himself a place on the team proper. He’s spent the last two seasons playing as Redfern’s starting Centre before entering the FAFL draft this year. Preferred Player Number: 1 Creator: RobbieSox Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars) DC#400 Name: Sarvesh Akhtar Nickname: “V” Gender: Male Species: Bearded Vulture Height: 199cm Weight: 120kg Kicking Foot: Left Birthdate: November 21, 2006 Hometown: Delhi, India Junior Club: Ballarat (VFFA D1) Playing Position: Half-Back Flank/Ruckfur Player Background: Large and in-charge. That would be the simplest way to describe Sarvesh. Originally born in Dehli, India, the bearded vulture was born into the hustle and bustle of urban India to a pair of working parents that often left the vulture chick with his grandparents. Oftentimes, Sarvesh found himself ambling through said grandparents’ bookshelves and all the many wonders and worlds it held. Through his formative years, those books helped him to dream big. At about the age of eight, Sarvesh would end up having a bit of a ‘Grand Adventure’ in his own right when his father’s work would bring his family to Australia. Ballarat to be exact. Sarvesh would cling heavily to his books for those first couple years down under, hanging onto the worlds he knew well as he tried to find how to adapt to the new one he’d been dragged into. The answer would come, not in the shape of a magical sword or an enchanted scroll but in the form of an egg-shaped ball. What better way to start fitting into the culture than by taking up its favorite sport? If nothing else, it’s a good start certainly. Those first days were…a learning experience. It was a lot for Sarvesh to merely keep his eye on the footy let alone catching it. One thing Sarvesh had going for him even through the learning curve was his strong will, as others might have thrown the towel in, he wouldn’t. His marking started to improve, he could actually make a clean kick, his handballs weren’t as wobbly, it was all the basic stuff but hey, when you pay attention to the little things the big things handle themselves…and hoo boy did Sarvesh start growing an appetite for the big things in footy. An aggressive nature and brash attitude when it came to the field led to bags and bags of goals as well as bags of penalties. The young vulture grew into quite the wild forward, seemingly never seeing a kick he didn’t like and not afraid to get in the faces of opponents and teammates alike. Aggression? A bad temper? Mere love of the game? Who fully knows, but it always spurred him as he grew and learned more and more about footy. Not to say his other loves went neglected, honestly Sarvesh’s passion for the game spilled into his love of books to the point where he’d even start writing his own little stories. When he’s passionate about something, without a doubt he digs right into it! At 15, Sarvesh was selected to the U16 National Development Championships, and managed to obtain an MVP award in their game, practically ensuring himself a place on the FAFL All-Australian team; a massive accomplishment for anybody to obtain, and one that Sarvesh was extremely proud of. Despite the penalties that he was very good at racking up, he also proved that he was a solid asset on a team, racking up more than enough points to make up for his penalties and help his team win the game. And with this accomplishment under his belt, he knew what his next step was; preparing to declare for the FAFL draft. But he had to wait a couple more years at least, so he continued playing his heart out for Ballarat, training hard and playing harder. Between practice, he dabbled in his other passion of writing, succeeding in writing a book of short stories and poems that he self-published online and has since started working on his first novel. Once he turned 17, he decided he wasn’t waiting any longer and decided to declare for the FAFL draft. This was what he wanted, and he wasn’t going to wait. Education could be completed in other ways, but playing footie was only going to happen on the oval. Preferred Player Number: 6 Creator: RobbieSox/BladesDaRaccoon Star Rating: **** ½ (4.5 Stars)