Top Gold Coast-based draft prospect Lachie Weller will live out a childhood dream when he runs out on to the hallowed MCG turf on AFL Grand Final day.
The brother of former SUN and current St Kilda midfielder Maverick Weller will play at the symbolic home of football, when he turns out for the highly-anticipated NAB All-Stars curtain-raiser between the Australian Under-17s and the Allies, showcasing some of the best young talent in the game.
Weller, a projected first-round selection at next month’s national draft held on the Gold Coast, has turned in a sensational draft season, shining for Queensland in the U18 championships and taking out best-on-ground honours for the AIS-AFL Academy in a trial match as part of the Academy’s European tour.
Saturday’s spectacle looms as a last shot for the Gold Coast SUNS Academy-listed player to test his skills on the AFL’s biggest stage.
“It’s a few days before the draft so it’s going to be a massive week for us,” Weller told The Gold Coast Bulletin.
“It’s a good opportunity to play at the G’ on grand final day.”
“It’s another opportunity to try and prove yourself.”
In equally exciting news for the club’s academy program, ruck prospect Braydon Preuss has also been invited to All-Stars game and will start in the centre circle for the Allies, made up of players from Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
With the national draft now just weeks away, Weller said his dream of playing AFL football was no longer a distant reality.
“We go down today so I think we do two training sessions before we play,” he said.
“Most of the year they’ve been talking about it but officially a couple of weeks ago we got the email.
“It’s crept up pretty quickly, with the draft camp it’s getting pretty real but after the draft camp we’ve got a fair while until the actual night.”