Young stars to make their mark

THE elite development structures at Peel Thunder have been vindicated again, with six young stars set to join the Under 16s State Academy, following the Under 16s State Carnival earlier in early April. 

Peel’s Under 16s side performed strongly in the carnival, winning four out of five games, and its representation in the Academy is second only to Claremont with seven.

The carnival plays a key role in the selection for the state’s Under 16s squad ahead of the National Championships in July.

It comes after eight Peel players were selected to play in a WAFL Under 16s All Stars match at ATOM Stadium on April 19.

Six of those players selected in the Academy were: 

Aaron NAUGHTON - A left-footed utility with strong hands and reads the play very well. His brother Travis is in the State 18s Academy.
Jordan BOULLINEAU – A half-back that can run through the midfield, Boullineau is equipped with great skills.
Jakeb SHINE – A running utility with elite endurance and great poise.
Zavier WILLIAMS – Only in his third year of footy, but a competitive beast with great pace and agility.
Lachlan SHARPE – A third tall forward, Sharpe is explosive off the mark and hard at the contest.

Lachlan MITCHELL – A late call-up to the carnival, Mitchell is a well-rounded midfielder with elite endurance.

Shine, Williams and Sharpe all hail from Peel’s South West zone, and Club Development Manager John Deitz said it was indicative of the talent in that region.

“To come in at 16s and not only play good football but fit in with the group, that is a testament to those kids from that region and also tells us that it’s rich in talent and it is something we’ll continue to explore,” Deitz said. 
“It’s very exciting, we think there’s a lot of potential down there and we hope to keep building that relationship with the South West zone.”

The Thunder is also well-represented in the Under 18s State Academy, with Josh Schoenfield, Noah Hura, Travis Naughton and Dixon Wight in the frame for state selection.

Deitz said the latest crop of promising youngsters continued Peel’s strong tradition of producing talented footballers.

“If you look at our history over the 19 years, we’ve always had strong representation, so I think the talent in the region is really exciting and our footy club is going to keep getting stronger with the abundance of local talent,” Deitz said.