Former Geelong star Cameron Mooney has defended the AFL’s decision to ban skin tucks at juniors as his own son Jagger aspires to follow in his footsteps and play at the highest level.
Mooney played 11 games for North Melbourne before enjoying a stellar 210-game career with the Cats, winning three premierships and finishing as Geelong’s top scorer in 2007 and 2009.
His son Jagger Mooney currently plays for junior feeder club Geelong Falcons in the Coates Talent League and hopes to one day become a father-son selection for the Cats.
He has joined the Falcons along with two other sons of club greats, Alfie Wojcinski, son of former Cats three-time premiership star David and Boston Riccardi, brother of former Cat Osca Riccardi and son of 288-game Cat Peter.
However, these young players will not be subject to skinfold testing until they are seniors, due to the new edict sent as a memo to all AFL clubs this week.
“Body composition assessments (excluding height and weight) will not be conducted in Talent Pathways programs or on athletes eligible to participate in the Pathways programs,” reads the memo from Dr. Kate Hall and Grant Williams.
Cam Mooney and his son Jagger and wife Seona Hill. Jagger is a rising Aussie Rules star like his father, but doesn’t have to undergo skin fold tests like his famous father did
Mooney said there is more professionalism in the junior tracks today than when he was drafted in 1996
Mooney is not against the move, but also defended the skinfold test, saying it was a way to ensure every player was at a professional level, rather than getting fat.
‘It all depended on how big you were. If your skinfolds were 60, you were in the ‘fat club,’” Mooney said foxsports.com.au.
“When we were playing, they wanted our skinfolds to be around 50. Most players would be fine with that. I was always between 50 and 50, probably closer to 55.
‘Now it wasn’t officially called the ‘fat club’, but that’s what it was always called, so you always had to do extra sessions, and rightly so.
You’re in a professional environment and if you weren’t as professional as 80 to 90 percent of your teammates, you had to do the extra work.
“It wasn’t so much a ‘name and shame’ situation. But (there was a point where) the rest of the guys have done the work and you have to get to work. And I had no problem with that.
‘If I come back overweight, or if someone comes back overweight and has to do extras, then so be it. That was your job.
“You come back and you work your butt off.”
Mooney said skin folds were a wake-up call in his playing days and those who failed had to ‘work their backsides off’
Mooney, who won three premierships with Geelong, also said younger players are in a more professional environment than when he was a junior.
While Mooney said skinfold testing was fine at AFL level, he questioned its effectiveness among junior players who were already struggling to learn about proper nutrition and the professionalism of the sport.
“When we talk about the draft, you have to understand that most kids — and I was at the top of the list, I was on stage — have no idea what they’re doing,” Mooney said.
“I didn’t learn until I literally walked into the club in North Melbourne. You have to understand that we, as 17 or 18 year old boys, and that’s what we are, we’re boys, we’re basically just trying to learn as we go. It takes a lot of time to mature.
“It’s a select group, probably when I came through, who really understood professionalism and diet.”
“My son is now with the Falcons and is now learning at the age of 15, 16 what it’s all about. So they are learning about professionalism and nutrition earlier than ever,” he said.
“If you’re a young kid today and you want to get drafted, I can guarantee you it’s the best life you’ll live and it’s the greatest experience you’ll ever have in your 20s and hopefully early 30s. It is worth becoming a real top athlete at a young age, so that you can get the best out of yourself.’
Mooney and his daughters Jackie, Billi and Stevie enjoy an afternoon of football at the Cattery
Frankie is Mooney’s youngest child and has the opportunity to grow up and play in a very established AFLW
Mooney said the level of professionalism at junior level had changed dramatically since he was drafted as pick No.56 of the NSW/ACT Rams in 1996.
He said most players would reach the required standards with or without skin folds, but added juniors with high footy IQ and real talent should not be ruled out because of a few extra pounds of weight.
“I would never put a stop to a kid who can find the footy just because I heard his diet isn’t great. I wouldn’t sit back and say, ‘Oh. This 18 year old’s diet is not good. He can play, but we’re not going to pick him because of his diet or weight,” Mooney said.
“It’s the things you learn when you’re (at an AFL club) that you gain from a professional diet. So I would never judge a child by his skin folds, his weight or his diet if he can play but is not in a professional environment. It is my job as a club to get that right when he is within the four walls of the club.’
