The physical side of getting picked
Rep teams, state squads, academies and drafts — how the talent pathway works in six Australian sports, what gets measured along the way, and what separates the athletes who move up from the ones who stall.
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In every Australian sport pathway, selectors pick on skill and game sense first. The physical qualities that separate athletes at the next level are much the same everywhere: an engine that lasts the game, speed and power, strength for contact and landing, and availability — staying free of the soft-tissue injuries that cost a season.
All four are trainable, and all four are built months before the trial that measures them.
Choose your pathway
AFL
The AFL talent pathway from club footy to the draft — Talent League, U18 championships and the Combine — and the physical gaps that separate players.
See the pathwayRugby league
The rugby league pathway in NSW and Queensland — Harold Matthews, SG Ball, Jersey Flegg, Cyril Connell and Mal Meninga — and the physical side of each step.
See the pathwaySoccer
The soccer pathway in Australia — SAP, NPL youth, A-League academies and national youth teams — and the physical qualities that separate players.
See the pathwayNetball
The netball pathway in Australia — state 17/U and 19/U teams, the National Netball Championships and Super Netball — and the physical side of each step.
See the pathwayBasketball
The basketball pathway in Australia — U16, U18 and U20 National Championships, the Centre of Excellence and NBL1 — and the physical side of each step.
See the pathwayCricket
The cricket pathway in Australia — Premier Cricket, the U17 and U19 National Championships and state programs — and the physical side of each step.
See the pathwayFour things the athletes who move up do differently
They train months before the trial
Selection happens on a date. The strength, speed and aerobic base that show up on that date were built in the block before it — usually over the off-season, when everyone else was resting.
They stay available
You cannot be picked from the sideline. Eccentric hamstring work, the Copenhagen adductor programme and structured warm-ups all have published evidence behind them for reducing injury in football codes — see the sources.
They know their numbers
Testing is the language coaches and selectors share. An athlete who tests every eight weeks arrives at a club testing day knowing their trend, not guessing it.
They train in the right order
Aerobic base before repeat efforts. Strength before power. A program that trains everything every week improves nothing in particular — which is why Train Smart periodises by season phase.
Not on this list?
Train Smart also programs rugby union, hockey, boxing, MMA, gymnastics and dance — each with its own sessions, prehab and testing battery, periodised to its season or competition block.
Get ahead before the season does
Your sport, your season and your testing battery — built into one program, with the weight to put on the bar on every set.
One month free, then A$24.99/month. Cancel any time. iPhone and iPad.