ULLADULLA'S Mikey Salafia has proven why he is considered one of the top Australian Football talents in the country after a strong performance at the 2019 Australian Football 12 and Under Championships.
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To prepare for the week-long tournament at Mandurah (West Australia), Salafia, who has selected in the NSW Primary School Sports Association (PSSA) in May, and his side took part in a four-day camp at Barooga in July.
"The camp gave us a chance to bond as a team, on and off the field, while always training hard together on it," Salafia said.
"We also played a local team in a trial match, which we won."
On top of this, the Ulladulla Public School student also had a home training program, which involved fitness and ball skills drills - which he did on top of sessions with the GWS Giants Academy.
Following their training and before they jetted off, the NSW side were presented with their guerneys by Sydney Swans' Callum Mills at the SCG.
All this prepared the Ulladulla Docker for the August 4-10 tournament - in which the first four days were played in wet conditions at Rushton Park.
Salafia's side opened with a tough 8.5-53 to 1.3-9 loss to South Australia, before going down to Queensland (8.2-50 to 2.4-16) in game two.
Game three brought better fortunes for NSW, chalking up their first win against ACT 6.9-45 to 0.0-0 - before losing a close one to the hosts 2.1-13 to 0.2-2, a game in which Salafia was named best on ground.
"The game against Western Australia was definitely my highlight," he said.
"It was really wet, with three inches of water over the ground, so I had to work harder for every possession.
"My defence was also really good - I made sure I completed my tackles and manned up.
"Overall it was fun playing in the wet conditions".
NSW won game five against Tasmania (2.5-17 to 1.0-6), before falling to Victoria (6.6-42 to 0.0-0) and defeating Northern Territory (6.3-39 to 1.0-6) to end their group stage on a high.
Salafia's team then won matches against both Northern Territory (10.13-73 to 0.0-0) and ACT (15.7-97 to 2.1-13) before losing their playoff for fifth to Tasmania 7.5-47 to 1.10-16.
"I think we came together really well considering we only had a four-day training camp before the championship," he said.
"We had really strong players in the NSW team and they were really fun to play with on and off the field - it was so much fun"
Salafia, who played in the midfield and kicked six goals, helped his NSW claimed the Championships' Sportsmanship Trophy.
"I've come away from the championship more confident, while making life long friends," he said.
"I loved mixing it with the best players in the country my age and never took a backwards step - I always made sure I learnt from my mistakes and applied the changes in the next game.
"The whole experience has helped me take my footy skills to the next level."
Since returning, the 11-year-old has been named in the NSW PSSA touch football team for nationals at Canberra in October - making it three state selections for Salafia after also being picked in the NSW rugby league team too.
"These three accomplishments are well deserved for Mikey," mother Samara said.
"He works really hard and has always been competitive in anything he does and to his credit, it is beginning to pay off."