No real age limit. Kerryn Harrington is from memory the youngest to play [brief stint with Bendigo in their first year of competition].

Though im sure there are some AIS girls from back in the day who started younger.

Thanks for that. I appereciate it - helps a lot.

To the OP - You have to be 18 at or before December 31 of your draft year to nominate for the AFL Draft. They just changed this rule this year, which has cut down the number of potential draftees for the National Draft in October.

OK and thanks.
In about 18 months Gold Coast start an AFL and are targeting Gold Coast born Kurt Tippett from the Adelaide Crows.
What about Gretel Tippett at the Lightning
( something like Burston-Hammonds)

Seems to me Camel 31 that you are implying Adelaide Lightening try to secure Tippets signiature in advance of her going to the institute? I think Tippet and those in her situation [talented enough for the institute but doesn't necessarily want to go there] are in a rough position, there are pros and cons to early WNBL signings vs. going to the AIS.

She's got two real options;

1. Go to the tute and get dominated game in, game out for the entire season. That and deal with all the psychological bull**** that goes on at the AIS, with girls general bitchiness and also contending for the attention of the coaches. Not to mention the fact that your away from your family, your friends and any chance of a decent education

2. Stay away from the tute, get drafted as a rookie to your local WNBL team and work your ass off in quality training sessions for a sniff at some junk court time at the end of blow out games. All this at the expense of a real chance of making any junior australian teams; the AIS folks don't like it when you snub them, reguardless of how talented you are.

Does it follow that Gretel , current Gems player and now named in u17 squad for worlds, would be dropped/not selected for future teams should she not go to AIS, due to a WNBL deal for her.

Hard to say. She is obviously Kinsmans favorite at the moment; see all of the topage AIS players that she beat out for a spot in many overseas trips and stuff.

But the AIS predominantly exists for the purpose of training up the Junior Australian teams, so if Tippet is a no show then they might take offence and think that she's snubbing the program.

That being said, yeah. In her particular case, i'd say she's still sweet for future teams if she were to avoid the AIS right now.

A lot probably depends on how she would go about avoiding the tute. If she can suck up enough to the staff there and keep everyone happy while she snubs them, then it is likely she'll still be in contention. If she does an Ebzery and parts ways with the tute on less then amicable terms, then say goodbye to her chance to play Gems and beyond.

there is no minimum age, an unassuming WNBL legend "supercoach" tried to get a 15 yr old player of mine to come into her program and play intesd of an injured player while I was OS. Put a stop to that as she would have lost all NCAA eligibility, which she and her parents were NOT told when the assistant coach pushed his pitch on her.
Took the kid OS the next year and she is doing extremely nicely in a sweet sixteen standard div1 prog ATM - will get an education etc, while her cousin took the same option a year earlier is is now not playing any ball and working as a waitress in another state ( no disrespect to waitresses intended)

The advantage of the AIS is that there is guaranteed interest at the div 1 NCAA colleges for the player after their stint there, as the NCAA eligibility is guaranteed for AIS players.

It might all change as New coach now and tippett declined scholorship again for July 09 start.
cant keep knocking it back i would not think.

and i wonder what the famous Dean would say if he new gretel had played a week before they left in the qld state titles . wouldnt think he would have wanted to risk her.. or maybe he didnt know.

and i wonder what the famous Dean would say if he new gretel had played a week before they left in the qld state titles . wouldnt think he would have wanted to risk her.. or maybe he didnt know.

Intersting.
Looks like Tippett played well for Gems v Argentina.