WHATEVER their football loyalties, about 200 Cohuna and Kerang youngtsers lapped up the opportunity of tuition from a group of Hawthorn footballers on Tuesday.
Hawthorn premiership player Ryan Shoenmakers was the highest profile player leading a round-robin set of skills sessions in kicking, handballing and marking.
Former Gold Coast player, Jaegar O’Meara who was restricted to six games with the Hawks last season, and Port Adelaide recruit Jarman Impey were joined by Teia Miles, Kurt Heatherley, Conor Glass and Jackson Ross.
Students from Kerang’s four primary schools converged on McLeod Oval for the clinic and the players were assisted by Kerang Technical High School students.
Cohuna Consolidated School hosted the afternoon session, with principal, Daniel Nemtsas describing the event as an inspiring day for all.
“Part of the clinic is that it isn’t just skills driven, but it is the opportunity to come into contact with those real life stars they see on the television,” he said.
“It makes them [into] a real life person, so the children can see that they can become something too.”
The day was also a chance for the students from different schools to mingle and learn teamwork.
“The day is great because it gives the four schools and the kids a chance to know each other – [before] they all go onto the secondary college together,” Nemtsas said.
The one-hour long clinics rotated children between stations manned by different players, who instructed the students on different techniques used in the game.
St Mary’s Cohuna teacher, Kayla Williams agreed that inspiration and aspiration was a central theme of the clinic.
“One of the footballers (Impey) was from Shepparton, so they see that they can aspire to their dreams and that being from the country doesn’t mean they can’t succeed – and [that applies to] the girls too now that they have the women’s league,” she said.
