Geelong premiership winner DEFENDS decision to ban skinfolds in juniors as son aims to follow in his footsteps

Former Geelong star Cameron Mooney has defended the AFL’s decision to ban skinfolds on juniors as his own son Jagger aspires to follow in his footsteps and play at the highest level.

Mooney played 11 games for North Melbourne before enjoying a glittering 210-game career with the Cats, winning three premierships and finishing as Geelong’s top scorer in 2007 and 2009.

His son Jagger Mooney currently plays for junior feeder club Geelong Falcons in the Coates Talent League and hopes to one day be a father-son selection for the Cats.

He joined the Falcons with two other sons of club greats, Alfie Wojcinski, the son of former three-time Cats star David and Boston Riccardi, the brother of former Cat Osca Riccardi and the son of Cat Peter, who played 288 matches.

These young players will not, however, be subject to skinfold testing until they are seniors, due to the new decree which was sent as a memo to all AFL clubs this week.

“Body composition assessments (excluding height and weight) will not be performed in any Talent Pathways programs or on any athletes eligible to participate in Pathways programs,” the memo from Dr. Kate Hall and Grant Williams said .

Cam Mooney and his son Jagger and his wife Seona Hill. Jagger is a rising Aussie Rules star like his father, but he won’t have to take skin tests like his famous father did.

Mooney said there is more professionalism in the junior ranks today than when he was drafted in 1996.

Mooney is not opposed to the move, but also defended the skinfold test, saying it was a way to ensure every player was at a professional level, rather than shaming.

“It all depended on your size. If your skin folds were 60 years old, you were in the “fat club”, Mooney told foxsports.com.au.

“When we were playing, they wanted our skinfolds to be around 50.” Most players would do fine. I’ve always sat between 50 and 50, probably closer to 55.

“Now, we didn’t officially call it the ‘big club’, but that was always what we called it, so we always had to do extra sessions, and rightly so.

You’re in a professional environment and if you weren’t as professional as 80 to 90 percent of your teammates, then you had to do extra work.

“It wasn’t really a ‘name and shame’ situation. But (there was the fact that) the rest of the boys did the job and you have to do your part. And I had no problem with it.

“If I come back overweight, or if anyone comes back overweight and has to do extras, so be it. It was your job.

“You come back and work your butt off.”

Mooney said skin folds were a red flag in his playing days and those who failed had to ‘work their butts off’

Mooney, who won three premierships with Geelong, also said younger players are playing in a more professional environment than when he was a junior.

While Mooney said skinfold testing was acceptable at AFL level, he questioned their effectiveness on junior players who struggled to learn about proper diets and professionalism anyway. sport.

“When we talk about pre-draft, you have to understand that most of the kids — and I was at the top of the list, I was on the podium — have no idea what they’re doing,” Mooney said .

“I only found out when I literally walked into the North Melbourne club. You have to understand that we, as 17 or 18 year old boys, and that’s what we are, we’re boys, are just trying to learn on the job. It takes a long time to mature.

“It’s a select few, probably when I arrived, who really knew professionalism and food.”

“My son is now with the Falcons and is now learning at 15 or 16 what it is. So they are learning professionalism and nutrition earlier than ever,” he said.

“If you’re a young kid these days and you want to get drafted, I can guarantee you it’s the best life you’ll ever live and it’s the greatest experience of your 20s and hopefully your early 30s than you’ll ever experience, so it’s very It’s definitely worth it to become a truly professional athlete from a young age, so you can get the most out of yourself.

Mooney and her daughters Jackie, Billi and Stevie enjoy an afternoon of football at the cattery

Frankie is Mooney’s youngest child and is fortunate to grow up and play in a highly established AFLW.

Mooney said the level of professionalism at junior levels had changed dramatically since he was drafted at pick No.56 by the NSW/ACT Rams in 1996.

He said most players would reach the required standards with or without skin folds, but additional juniors with high football IQs and real ability should not be excluded because of a few extra kilos.

“I would never blame a kid who can find football, just because I’ve heard their diet isn’t great. I wouldn’t sit there and say, “Oh.” This 18 year old’s diet is not good. He can play, but we’re not going to pick him because of his diet or his weight,” Mooney said.

“Those are things you learn when you’re (at an AFL club), that you pick up in a professional regime. So I will never judge a child on his skin folds, his weight or his diet if he knows how to play but is not in a professional environment. It’s my job as a club to get it right when it’s within the four walls of the club.