Sport

Shepparton United’s Riley Onley to represent Australia against Richmond VFL

By Marcus Beeck

Apr 10, 2025

Goulburn Valley football product Riley Onley will represent Australia in the under-18 match against Richmond VFL.

A Goulburn Valley product and prototype midfielder of the modern age of football is about to get his first opportunity to demonstrate his draft worth on the big stage.

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Shepparton United football prodigy Riley Onley will don the green and gold this Sunday as the AFL National Academy takes on Richmond’s VFL side.

The match will be held at RSEA Park (St Kilda’s training base) in Melbourne’s south-east at 1.30pm.

Highly rated as an AFL draft prospect for 2025, Onley will have the opportunity to demonstrate his talent as a big-bodied midfielder against grown men.

A 194cm bullocking inside midfielder with plenty of endurance and skill, Onley will be hoping to show the gluttony of AFL recruiters in attendance that he has what it takes to become a player in the Patrick Cripps-Tom Green mould.

The academy is made up of the top-rated draft-eligible junior footballers in the country and provides its players with a holistic outlook on football as well as on-field and personal development.

AFL National Academy manager Tarkyn Lockyer said the players loved getting the rare opportunity to wear national colours in a game of football.

“Wearing the Australia jumper and representing the Australia under-18 team is a huge honour for our young stars and always the highlight of the Marsh AFL National Academy program,” Lockyer said.

“We look forward to having the squad together this weekend and providing them new experiences and learnings which they can equip themselves with on and off the field throughout their football journey.”

This weekend will be the second camp, following an induction camp in December, for the academy and is said to feature high-performance, wellbeing, education and team bonding sessions throughout the three-day camp.

Onley and his academy teammates will play their second and final match in Australian guernseys against VFL club Coburg at Mission Whitten Oval (home of the Western Bulldogs) in a fortnight on April 27.