Teen footy star caught in camp romp

A Perth teenager touted as the hottest young footballer in Australia has been suspended from a private school for a drunken sex romp on a camp in Kalbarri a fortnight ago.

Jack Darling, 17, who some experts have predicted will be the No.1 selection in next year's AFL national draft, admitted yesterday he had made a serious mistake and was devastated at the damage it would do to his reputation.

Speaking from Melbourne, where he is on a football trip, Darling said he was on a Sacred Heart College Year 12 camp when he and some school mates asked a local man to buy some alcohol for them. "One of the people there bought it for us in Kalbarri, a young bloke," he said.

Darling said that a number of students then drank the alcohol. He and two of his friends were in their tents when a young female came in and "started handling us".

He said that another student later told teachers what had occurred and he and his two friends were suspended.

"We still get to graduate - we just can't go back to school," Darling said. "We're doing exams, though. There's so many rumours going around the school. I made a mistake."

Darling said he did not want to talk about allegations that one student swam out to a boat moored off the coast and took alcohol. He was furious that the college had suspended him and his friends and claimed their parents were considering a challenge to the ban. "(Our) parents have all got together so something will come out of it," he said.

Darling's parents declined to comment when contacted yesterday. Sgt Graeme Macey, the officer in charge of Kalbarri police station, said he was not aware of any illegal activity occurring during the college's camp in the holiday town.

Sacred Heart College did not return phone calls from The West Australian yesterday.

WAFC high performance manager Jon Haines, who helps develop WA's elite young footballers, said it was too early to comment on what impact the incident could have on Darling's football prospects.

But former West Coast and Hawthorn coach Ken Judge said the incident could make some AFL clubs reconsider whether they would draft him.

"I don't think it will stop him from being drafted but given all the attention that is on what happened with (Carlton star) Brendan Fevola at the Brownlow it is not good timing to be involved in this sort of thing," he said.

Darling is too young to feature at this year's national AFL draft next month. But he has been considered a certainty to be among the first picked at the 2010 draft.