HAD Education Presents
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
HAD Draft-Ready: The Metrics Behind AFL/AFLW Selection
What actually gets tracked by recruiters leading up to draft day - and how do you stack up?
Rendezvous Hotel Perth Scarborough - Blackwood Room (148 The Esplanade, Scarborough WA 6019, Australia)
7:30 - 8:30pm
Thursday 13th August 2026
Suitable for athletes aged 15–20 (1x parent/guest per athlete)
FREE
This seminar goes beyond pathway advice to focus on the numbers that matter: the physical testing benchmarks, performance metrics, and data points AFL and AFLW recruiters use to assess talent.
What You’ll Learn.
The key testing benchmarks recruiters look for
How performance data is used throughout the talent pathway (not just combine day)
Practical ways to track and improve your own metrics
The benchmarks of an AFL/AFLW footballer in your role - and how to work towards it
This is a practical, numbers-first session is ideal for footballers who want to move from "just play well" to knowing exactly how they are being assessed.
Hear directly from an AFL Recruiter & AFLW List Manager:
Co-delivered by Simon Dalrymple, St Kilda FC Talent Identification and Player Movement Manager, and Darryn Fry, Fremantle FC AFLW List Manager, this session cuts through the noise to show you exactly what gets noticed at AFL and AFLW level.
Simon and Darryn will break down what recruiters are actively searching for - the attributes, the profiles, and the moments that land athletes on the radar + walk you through HAD's proven approach to athlete development, sharing real case studies of young talent we've worked with who've made the jump to elite level.
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Simon Dalrymple
AFL Talent Identification and Player Movement Manager -
St Kilda Football Club
Simon has been an AFL Recruiting Manager for 17 years. Simon currently works with St Kilda Football Club, previously the Sydney Swans and the Western Bulldogs. His time as the Development Manager at the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup combined with a long history in education and coaching makes Simon the ideal person to help aspiring recruiters, athletes and coaches to learn how to identify young Football talent, and furthermore how to develop that talent to give players the best chance of being recruited. -
Darryn Fry
AFLW List Manager - Fremantle Football Club
Darryn has worked in AFLW football operations and list management for close to a decade. He joined Fremantle in 2018 as AFLW and Next Generation Academy Manager, before moving into the sole AFLW List Manager role in 2023. Since then, Darryn has overseen Fremantle's full AFLW list strategy — from identifying and signing draft and rookie talent, including cross-code athletes transitioning into the sport, through to trade period negotiations and list management heading into each new season. His background spanning both talent identification and the NGA pathway, combined with hands-on experience managing player contracts, retention and list turnover at AFLW level.
Want HAD Football to watch you play?
On Saturday 15 August HAD staff are heading out to watch football across WA - and we're opening up a limited number of EOI spots to footballers outside our program.
If selected, a trained Talent ID staff member will watch you play live and give you your own individualised HAD Game Assessment Report - the same insight we normally reserve exclusively for our long-term clients. This is a one-off opportunity, not an ongoing offer.
HAD Football’s Simon Dalrymple Featured in One of Australia's Leading Football Podcasts, SEN Breakfast
Simon Dalrymple speaks to SEN Breakfast about our HAD Football Talent Course.
