Camperdown forward Sam Gordon has again been prevented from testing at the AFL state combine due to injury.
Geelong Falcons region manager Michael Turner said Gordon, 19, had a prolapsed disc in his back which he sustained working on his family’s farm.
Turner said Gordon attended the combine at Docklands on Saturday but was unable to complete any tests, which included the beep test, 20-metre sprints and vertical jump, among others.
“He was there and they did his measurements and skinfolds,” Turner said.
He said Gordon’s AFL draft chances would have taken a hit.
Gordon was invited to the four-day AFL draft combine in 2011 after seven appearances for the Falcons.
“It was the second year in a row he couldn’t test,” Turner said.
“It makes his chances difficult in the draft or rookie draft.
“Testing is not the be-all and end-all, but to not test two years in a row makes it difficult because boys go and test and it tips them over the line.”
Turner said AFL recruiters had five key criteria they used for drafting a player — attitude, ball-winning ability, decision-making, skills and athleticism.
Gordon played six games for the Falcons this year as an overage player after overcoming pre-season hip surgery.
However, he lost his spot in the TAC Cup outfit, finishing the year with his home club Camperdown.
Three south-west players — Koroit’s Martin Gleeson, South Warrnambool’s Louis Herbert and Colac’s Dean Towers — tested at last week’s AFL draft combine.
The AFL national draft will be held on November 2 and the pre-season and rookie drafts follow on December 11.