Talented young talls Sam De Koning and Shannon Neale have made some strong off-season strides as they continue to build their bodies and stack on the kilograms.
De Koning cracked the senior side for the first time last season, debuting as a tall forward option against North Melbourne in the absence of Jeremy Cameron.
With two full AFL seasons now under his belt after being selected with pick 19 in the 2019 National Draft, Physical Performance Manager Scott Murphy says De Koning is now reaching his optimal playing weight.
“It usually follows the path of learning to train in their first year, so we don’t actively chase weight gain in the first 12 months,” Murphy says.
“The second and third years when we know their bodies a lot better, and they know how to handle the rigours of being a professional athlete, we’ll start to specify a little bit more.
“DK (De Koning) has now done three years in the system, so he’s probably at his match weight for the next five to seven years.”
The 202cm swingman has been followed closely this pre-season by fellow two-metre tall Cat Shannon Neale as the duo locks horns in marking drills.
Neale, who is yet to make his debut, is an athletic tall option who can play at either end of the ground, taken with pick 33 in the 2020 Draft.
“Both of them (De Koning and Neale) have spent a bit of time in the gym putting on a little bit of mass so they can be more resilient and maybe more effective as footballers at the AFL level,” Physical Performance Manager Murphy says.
“Shannon’s now in his second year and probably has a little bit more growth to do but we’re happy with how they’ve both progressed.”
Murphy says the off-season is a key time for young athletes to build the strength and muscle required of an AFL player.
“With no games during the course of the off-season it provides an opportunity to focus on other aspects,” he says.
“We send them away with a good diet and check in with them regularly with four or five weights sessions a week.
“There’s less running, we don’t stop running but there’s less of it with no games, it gives their bodies an opportunity to adapt and grow a little bit.
“The result is they’ve both come back and presented in great shape, a little bit heavier and hopefully ready to play some better footy.”
