The Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy development Squads will go head to head this weekend in the first game of the Regional Development series. 

From this series the 2013 Slater & Gordon GIANTS Academy squads will be selected. The teams will play three games across our region with the first round scheduled in Naranderra and Campbelltown, before heading to Canberra for rounds two and three. 

Slater & gordon GIANTS Academy Manager Lachlan Buszard said that the series gives the kids a great opportunity to pit themselves against the best young talent in the zone and that the games will enable them to seek valuable feedback about their development needs before the regular season kicks off.

Listed GIANTS rookies Joseph Redfern and Zac Williams and Sydney Swan Harry Cunningham all played in the series before being selected by their AFL club.

"The players have been training since November and have done exceptionally well to get to where they are now," Buszard said.

"There will be over 400 kids playing for selection in our U15, U16 and U18 squads and the kids will all get a great opportunity to learn and develop their own games across the three game series.  

"Players have been benchmarked on fitness, skills and have already played a number of trial games as apart of the program," he said.

The games are as follows: 

Rd1 
Saturday - FEB 2 
Narrandera Sportsground

U15     Riverina 1 v Riverina 2      3:00pm

U15     Murray 1 v Murray 2         4:30pm

U16     Murray 1 v Murray 2         6:00pm

U16     Riverina 1 v Riverina 2      7:30pm

Sunday - FEB 3
Narrandera Sportsground

U18     Murray v Riverina              9:30am

Monarch Oval, Macquarie Fields

U15     GWS v ACT                      1.30pm

U16      GWS v ACT                     3:00pm

U18     GWS v ACT                      4:30pm

Rd2
Saturday - FEB 16
Dairy Farmers Park, Queanbeyan

U15       Murray 1 v ACT              11:00am

U15       Murray 2 v Riverina 2      12:30pm

U15       GWS v Riverina 1             2:00pm

U16       Murray 1 v ACT               3:30pm

U16       Murray 2 v Riverina 2       5:00pm

Sunday - FEB 17
Ainslie Oval, ACT

U16       GWS v Riverina 1            11:30am

U18       Murray v GWS                   1:00pm

U18       ACT v Riverina                  2:45pm

Rd3
Saturday - FEB 23
Dairy Farmers Park, Queanbeyan

U15      ACT v Riverina 2              11:00am

U15      Murray 2 v GWS               12:30pm

U15      Murray 1 v Riverina 1         2:00pm

U16      Murray 1 v Riverina 1         3:30pm

U16      ACT v Riverina 2               5:00pm

Sunday - FEB 24
Ainslie Oval, ACT

U16     GWS v Murray 2            11:30am

U18     Murray v ACT                 1:00pm

U18     Riverina v GWS               2:45pm