A NEW branch of WA's State Talent Academy, Western Australia North, kicked off with a camp for 29 players in Port Hedland on the weekend, with the aim of competing in Division 2 of the 2012 NAB AFL National 16s Championship in July.

The WA North Academy will be managed by the West Australian Football Commission with the support of the AFL and WAFC Regional Development staff, in partnership with the V Swans program and Garnduwa.

The initial 29 camp participants include 15 players from the Kimberley, 12 from the Pilbara and 2 from the Gascoyne region, who were each selected after competing at the North West Regional Carnival in October last year.

WA's most talented Indigenous football players will be selected for the State U15 Indigenous Squad when the Nicky Winmar Football Carnival is held at Bendigo Bank Stadium in Mandurah.

The Nicky Winmar Carnival will be played on Saturday 18 February, from 3pm to 8pm, between teams based on WAFL metro and regional zones.

The event is targeting disengaged Indigenous youth with the aim of getting them back into the football system at club level and in development squads.

The carnival will also provide the opportunity to unveil exciting new talent and select players to compete in the national KickStart National Championships on the Gold Coast in April.

Nine West Australian players departed for Fiji yesterdy, December 11, as part of the Flying Boomerangs national indigenous 15s team.

Players included Warrick Wilson (Port Hedland/SD), Jarrod Pickett (SF), Jarrod Garlett (SF), Anthony Champion (Kalgoorlie/Subiaco), Daniel Barnard (Geraldton/EF), Jermaine Miller-Lewis (SF), Jamie Ryder (Subiaco), Dino Ross (SD) and Dylan Nelson (SD).

They are being accompanied by assistant coach Des Hedland and will compete against Under 15 Oceania and South Pacific teams this week at the Youth AFL Oceania Cup.

AFL players Israel Folau and Nic Naitanui will also attend the Cup in Fiji this week and mentor young players from their respective nations.

The AFL National Coaching Conference attracts around 500 coaches from across Australia. The 2012 conference program is aimed at giving Australian Football coaches an opportunity to access the most up-to-date coaching methods and practices.

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The AIS-AFL Academy Camp has commenced at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra with High Performance Coaches Michael O’Loughlin and Chris Johnson as well as assistant coaches/mentors Brad Johnson, Glen Jakovich and Tadhg Kennelly.

The AFL has expanded the elite junior pathway of the AIS/AFL Academy with the introduction of a two-tier model for its 15th intake of young players for the 2012 year.