League: AFL on the hunt for NZ athletes

AFL scouts have been sifting the talent of teenage New Zealanders and believe one youngster will crack the big time in the next decade.

Recruitment had been extended to Fiji and South Africa while agents believe New Zealand is a fertile catchment area for athletes who fit the Aussie Rules mould.

Those revelations come after the news that New Zealand-born Broncos fullback Karmichael Hunt is swapping codes and will join the new Gold Coast AFL franchise in 2011.

Geoff Dickson, chairman of AFL NZ, said scouts were starting to give New Zealand serious consideration as clubs looked to boost their playing rosters.

The national under-20 championships had been closely followed while athletes with the right physique in rugby and league codes were also being monitored as AFL NZ continued their moves to create a closer alliance with an undisclosed AFL club.

"The premise is give us the athlete and we will teach them how to play football," Dickson said.,

"We can't teach them to be 6' 4" and run 100m in 11s and benchpress 110kg but if you give us the athlete we will teach them how to handpass."

One promising player, Liam Ackland, had played recently in Adelaide in their club competition and AFL scouts had been there to watch his progress. He had also been involved in the Australian Institute of Sport draft camp.

"He is knocking on the door, he might be the first, he might not," Dickson said.

New Zealanders had played in the AFL. Trent Croad moved to Australia when he was young and played for Hawthorn and there were others but they all had their formative years in Australia.

"No teenager has been cherrypicked yet but we are doing our best to provide those opportunities to young New Zealanders," Dickson said.

The AFL had absorbed several Gaelic footballers since the 1980s. Mike Pyke, who played for Canada at the last Rugby World Cup, has signed for the Swans, while clubs drooled at the thought of claiming league stars Israel Folau or Greg Inglis when they were young.

Each AFL squad was allowed to recruit 10 players to an international roster, outside the salary cap.

The Western Bulldogs had been to Fiji on a recruitment drive this year and three players of Fijian descent had represented the Port Adelaide club while the AFL was investing heavily in South Africa.