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The Rio Olympics are fast approaching and the athletes are well and truly ready to showcase their talent to the rest of the world.
Our very own AFL athletes demonstrate their own talent every weekend, which goes beyond basic skills of kicking, handballing and tackling. So what events could feature the elite skills of AFL footballers?
Archery
Hawthorn’s cavalry contains a range of players that can hit targets, but the most important target to hit is the one through the big sticks. Luke Breust is a player that has remarkable accuracy in front of goals, ranking among the best in the competition.
Last year, Breust kicked 22 consecutive goals without missing, including many bags of goals to contribute to his accuracy. However, the Hawthorn forward now has some competition.
Representing Richmond is Sam Lloyd, a new addition to the Tigers’ line-up who simply can’t miss. His most memorable goal was no doubt sealing the win against Sydney after the siren. The forward’s accuracy in front of goal is exemplified through the stats, as he averages 69.01 per cent in front of goal.
Basketball
Yes, he grew up in a basketball background, but there are many more attributes that would qualify Scott Pendlebury as a talented basketball player. The Collingwood captain is very nifty with the ball in hand and always endeavours to help his teammates out.
He’s a player that can play all over the ground, as he attracts the footy in the depths of the fifties as well as through a cramped corridor in the middle of the ground.
This ability is not only an admirable skill to have in AFL, but is essential for basketball- in order to cover the yards of the court to apply constant pressure and cause turnovers.
Javelin
Alex Rance is arguably the strongest defender in the AFL. He is a lone soldier in the Tigers backline, as the support from the rest of his back six hasn’t always been evident.
He’s a defender that hardly goes sideways with his kicks, handballs and spoils, which represent his innate ability to launch the ball forward and create opportunities for Richmond to attack.
An individual sport like javelin would suit Rance perfectly as he would be enabled to show his brute strength and general sports smarts.
Boxing
If there was a stat for how many times a player’s actions have been addressed by the match review panel, Melbourne’s Bernie Vince would be ranked No.1.
Although he miraculously hasn’t been suspended yet, Vince’s feisty actions have burnt a hole in his pocket, as the match review panel’s findings have stripped him of some hefty amounts of cash.
Boxing demands athletes to think fast on their feet, which is something Bernie Vince has the capability to do, by finding the right options across the field and executing his impacts on his opponents.
400m
As a youngster, Nick Riewoldt was a 400m athlete. It could’ve been a viable option for his career, however, Riewoldt went down the path of AFL and has served 312 games of guts, goals and graciousness.
2016 has seen the former key forward move onto the wing position in order to enable the young guys like Tim Membrey and Josh Bruce to develop and dominate in the Saints forward line. The new winger has been a revelation to St Kilda’s attack, as his stamina and endurance is admirable to all footy fans.
At the ripe old age of 34, Riewoldt can still cover large amounts of ground and is still very agile, meaning that he could certainly make his way around the bends of the 400m ring in an emphatic fashion.
100m
The shortest race in the Olympics may seem to be all about sheer pace and quick starts, but many undermine the importance of acceleration towards the end of the race to clinch the crucial victory.
Paul Puopolo’s acceleration is second to none, as he is able to burn off players in the blink of an eye. Those little legs can unleash and accelerate out of nowhere, making all defenders fear facing Cyril Rioli’s protégé of pace.
Puopolo is a sneaky and nifty forward who has the ability to pop out of the back of contests and boot many goals, which solidifies his position as one of the most dangerous forwards in the competition.
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