THE next batch of AFL stars are on the right track, according to the people who should know best.

The AIS/AFL Academy squad trained at Gosch’s Paddock on Tuesday morning after last week spending time in an AFL environment and training alongside the biggest names in the game.

This week’s camp in Melbourne is the third time the squad has gathered since being selected last year.

AIS/AFL High Performance Coach Alan McConnell says early reports back from AFL clubs suggest the 30 players involved in the current intake – many of whom are likely to be selected in the NAB AFL Draft later this year – are making good progress.

“Outstanding,” McConnell said of the feedback received.

“We’ve had outstanding reports from the clubs on a whole range of issues, including those four or five boys that are in rehab mode because we’ve got a few guys who are a bit injured at the moment … we’re very proud of how they all presented.

“The boys complete their own diaries during the course of the week and they get a written report from the club – either from the recruiting manager or from one of the development or assistant coaches who’s kept an eye over them during their time at the club.”

Academy members were assigned small projects to perform while spending their few days at an AFL club.

As well as training and absorbing everything that was going on around them, players were also asked to interview at least one player and coach.

“While they were out at clubs we were also looking for them to make observations of players that they most admire, maybe those that they didn’t admire as much and therefore what is the skill set of the player that they want to look like,” McConnell said.

“They also collect video footage from the IT guys at the clubs of a player that they aspire to be like at some point in the future so they’ve got a reference point, not only from their experience, but also in visual format for them to keep with them for the rest of the 12 months that they can go back to.”

Following this week’s camp, players will return home where they will work with their state league clubs and state academy programs ahead of their trip to South Africa in late March.

“They continue to complete reports for us during that time which allows us to monitor their progress and fine tune where we need to … so their focus is really about preparing to be a good player and a leader in that environment which is what we hope they’d do, and then for two weeks [in South Africa] they actually become a team themselves.”