Local players star at NGA Games

MORE than 50 local footballers represented the Geelong Cats Next Generation Academy at the Under 15 NGA Games.

The April 9 and April 10 event at Crofts Reserve in Altona brought together some of the most promising young Indigenous and multicultural footballers from across the state.

Geelong’s squad was drawn from 22 community clubs and 24 schools from across the region.

The girls team was guided by AFLW stars Georgie Prespakis and Amy McDonald, while the boys squad was led by academy and pathways manager Chris Lynch and Aaron Black.

Among the player standouts were Daniel Rezaei Mahalati (Geelong Amateur) and Remi Sliwa (Torquay) who were both awarded MVP honours.

Oska Rose, Bol Reech, David Roydhouse (Newtown & Chilwell) and Sonni Andrews (Ocean Grove) were all strong contributors in the boy’s matches.

On the girls’ side, Grace Moore (Barwon Heads) Olivia Lasky (Lara) and Haylie Cadman (Belmont Lions) were among their best.

Standout players will now progress into the AFL Talent Pathways and the Geelong Falcons program.

For more information on Geelong’s Next Generation Academy, head to the Cats’ website.