Badu Island Australian rules prodigy Didymus Blanket has boosted his chance of an AFL career after becoming the second north Queensland junior selected in the AIS-AFL Academy squad.
Former Gold Coast Suns players Rex Liddy and Lewis Moss were the first to achieve the feat in 2009.
Introduced to the sport by Badu Island teacher Dave Maddock-Jones, Blanket has featured in the Cape York Crusaders representative side at under-12, 14 and 16 level and captained the under-16s Crusaders to victory in the Queensland Country Champs this year.
He is the only Queenslander to feature in the level two scholarships list announced and will benefit from two group training camps this year and another in New Zealand in January.
The squad was selected after the under-16 championships and will be coached by former Brisbane Lions premiership player and AFL engagement and talent co-ordinator Chris Johnson.
A boarder at Victoria's Scotch College for the past three seasons, Blanket's chance to feature in the 2015 draft have been enhanced with the latest honour.
AFL Cape York project manager Rick Hanlon has been integral in Blanket's progression.
Badu Island is halfway between the tip of Queensland and PNG.
"It's a very important achievement in his pathway to playing top level AFL and I'd just like to acknowledge the great support Diddy has had from family, staff, students and families from Scotch College," he said.
***Daniel Davidson (under-12), Jack Bowes and Shawn Watson (under-15) will travel to Darwin today for their respective national schoolboys championships.
Davidson is the only Peninsula member in the side, despite his team dominating the state titles.
Bowes and Watson will also be joined by Daniel Charlesworth in the Suns under-15 squad to play in Coffs Harbour from September 15-20
Last Modified on 23/09/2013 15:36