Emerging Shellharbour Swans teenager James Bell has won a place in the NSW-ACT representative AFL team for the prestigious National Under 16s Championships on the Gold Coast beginning on Saturday.
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The promising utility joins the top young players from across country NSW plus Sydney and Canberra in a 25-man Rams squad for the biggest carnival on the junior AFL calendar.
Bell is already listed at 182cm tall and is a tough tackler with excellent skills.
He plays great footy with the South Coast Thunder under 19s in Division 1 of Sydney AFL. Last year he joined the elite Sydney Swans Academy and made his senior debut with the Shellharbour Suns in the AFL South Coast competition.
Bell has tastes success at junior level, as a Swans under 14s premiership winner and their best and fairest player.
As well, he has helped Shellharbour win the under 12s comp.
The Rams squad includes players from Henty, Leeton, and Coffs Harbour, plus Bell representing the Illawarra junior association.
Coached by Rhys McAlister, the squad came together for a camp over the long Queens Birthday weekend, before embarking on its national championship campaign in Queensland.
Last year's NSW-ACT RAMS under 16s team won the Division 2 competition at the nationals, so expectations are high for the 2015 campaign, which begins at the Gold Coast Suns' AFL headquarters at Metricon Stadium on July 4. The NSW-ACT Rams will kick off their title defence on July 6 at Broadbeach against Northern Territory, before playing crucial pool games against Queensland at Southport and Tasmania at Metricon Stadium.
