South Aussie Select with the Slades and Kane McAuliffe

By ZAC MILBANK

Central District fans are still scratching their head at how the son of eight-time premiership rover Matthew Slade has landed in a Sturt guernsey.

But in the opening episode of South Aussie Select – SANFL’s exclusive Draft Podcast – for 2024, Slade explains how his talented son Luca is relishing his development with the Double Blues.

One of the top performers at this month’s AFL State Combine, Luca showed off his prowess in both the 20m sprint and 2km time trial, as well as registering a top-three placing in the agility test.

A smooth-moving midfielder with exceptional decision-making skills, Luca tells of the role his dad has played in his rise to senior ranks despite struggling to find any of Matthew’s premiership DVDs in the shed.

North Adelaide’s Kane McAuliffe opens up on his initial homesickness when moving down to Adelaide from Port Augusta to chase his AFL dream.

An extremely talented sportsman who represented SA Country in both cricket and basketball, McAuliffe is now well-adjusted to city life having boarded at Prince Alfred College before spending this year living with his grandparents in the western suburbs.

The speedy left-footer idolised Hawthorn captain Luke Hodge growing up, watching the Hawks skipper’s ability to read the play across half-back.

McAuliffe was SA’s strongest performer at the national AFL Combine in Melbourne, clocking an impressive 2.93 seconds in the 20m Sprint, which placed him fifth while also landing top-10 finishes in both of the jump categories.