Collingwood’s recruiters know no boundaries when searching for the talent needed to help the Magpies climb back to the top end of the ladder.

More obscure picks may delve into overseas markets or different sports. Yet the next diamond in the rough could be someone who lives and breathes footy and has done their whole life.

There’s a wealth of them in the Northern Territory’s Barkly region and our talent spotters are paying attention.

“We’re aware of the kids coming from the Tennant Creek area already,” National Recruiting Assistant Adam Shepard told Collingwood Media during a super clinic at the local oval on Wednesday.

“We’ve got a couple of perspective kids coming through over the next two years that we already know of now.”

Sure enough, Shepard can quickly point out a handful of locals who are on his radar as up-and-coming young stars.

And the kids know they’re being watched.

“Mister, mister… watch me kick this goal,” a 13-year-old says as he stands on the boundary line.

A banana is dribbled straight through the middle. Another boy steps up to take his turn.

“Would you like me to kick it on my left foot or right foot?” he asks with a cheeky smile.

It doesn’t matter. He takes one shot on each and they’re almost identical.



Wayne Green is Barkly’s Regional Development Manager for AFL NT. For five years he’s been based in Tennant Creek and played witness to countless football journeys.

“There’s a lot of other challenges, but I think we’re getting better at helping these kids,” Green told Collingwood Media.

“We’re getting important messages across and helping families to support these kids.

“We need them to get used to going away. They’re going to have to spend periods of time away from family to further their football.”

Shepard agrees that finding a potential star in the remote area is going to be a difficult exercise. There is more in play than just who has the best skills and most potential.

“We’re very much aware that to have a potential draftee out of Tennant Creek is not going to be simple,” he said.

“The sooner we can have these kids getting into some sort of structured program, the better traction we’re going to have in adapting them to potentially living a city life.

“We understand that moving Tennant Creek to Melbourne can’t just happen overnight.”



While Shepard recognised his favourite young players at the super clinic, James Aish, Brodie Grundy, Darcy Moore, Jackson Ramsay and Nathan Buckley also found familiar faces in the crowd.

They were kids who made themselves known earlier in the day during visits to Tennant Creek Primary and Tennant Creek High schools.

The high school was home to the local branch of the Clontarf Foundation, a sports academy targeted at teenage boys in the community.

Printed and posted on the walls was more familiarity – photos of young members standing on Olympic Park Oval with Travis Varcoe and Daniel Wells during a tour of Collingwood’s facilities.

These local footballers were dreaming big and getting a taste of what could one day be their workplace.



“We do a lot of primary school visits. It’s a big part of our job… but coming up here was another step altogether.” Moore said when reflecting on the morning’s activities.

“The kids were just so enthusiastic and such beautiful kids… they’re so eager to learn and so excitable.

“To be able to experience it and have a really genuine comforting experience was really important and something I’ll never forget.”

There are many at Collingwood who hope one day a kid from Tennant Creek will wear the same jumper as Moore, or maybe even share the field with him.

It’s a long shot, but one that’s becoming more and more possible every moment the Magpies spend in the area.

The key ingredients to a diamond in the rough? Structure and education.

“Today we got some real traction,” Shepard admitted.

“These kids love footy. We just need to find a way to make sure they can combine that love with a stable lifestyle so they can have success in everything they do.”

Tennant Creek has talent. And the world may soon get to see it.