STAWELL - Stawell Warriors player and North Ballarat Rebel, Kyle Hendy has been selected to attend the state combine as part of this year's AFL national draft.
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The North Ballarat Rebels TAC Cup Team officially announced this week that 13 players have been invited to attend the NAB AFL Draft Combines which begin in Melbourne next Tuesday, October 2.
Hendy has been an integral part of the Rebels side that reached the TAC Cup preliminary finals in 2012 and has stood up in a ruck role in his second season with the under 18 side.
Hendy found out six weeks ago he was to attend the state combine and has been in Ballarat most Wednesdays for practice tests that focus on physical aspects such as fitness, vertical leap, agility, kicking and handballing.
Over the past five weeks, Rebels staff and Dr Warren Young from the University of Ballarat have been working closely with Hendy and the other invited players to ensure they are in peak physical condition to test at their best.
Along with preparing the players for their physical tests, Rebels staff has also been working closely with the players on how to prepare for the important club interviews and the mental challenges while at the combines.
Hendy said the testing hasn't been 'too bad so far.'
"The footy season has just finished - we played two weeks ago, so I haven't lost any fitness," he said.
Rebels had an exceptional home and away season, finishing as minor premiers before suffering a shock preliminary final loss to Oakleigh Chargers who then went on to win the premiership by just one point over Gippsland Power.
It was a big year for Hendy, who played five TAC Cup matches in 2011 before featuring in 16 this year.
"I was a bit slow to start off, but worked my way into it," Hendy said of his 2012 season.
"I started the year in the middle and (over the season) instead of fifty percent game time, I ended up having a full game in the ruck. It was alright when I got my fitness up. It was disappointing to go out in the preliminary final after we finished on top."
Hendy is not sure of his chances of being drafted to an AFL club in November's 2012 NAB AFL Draft, which will be held on Thursday November 22 on the Gold Coast.
"I don't know at this stage. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen," Hendy said, adding he doesn't mind where he gets drafted whether it be in Victoria or interstate.
North Ballarat Rebels have the most players attending the combines from any one club across Australia which is a fantastic achievement for football across Western Victoria. The TAC Cup has again produced 50 per cent of players that will attend.
The selection process to attend the draft combines is purely from nominations from AFL clubs who have been watching these players very closely throughout the TAC Cup season.
Players that have received four or more nominations from clubs will attend the national combine which is starts today and runs until Friday at Etihad Stadium, while players that have received 1-3 nominations from AFL clubs will attend a state combine held on Saturday, October 6 again at Etihad Stadium.