Talented footy players Masie Mosby and Rushon George with Jake O’Halloran, the AFL Cape York operations officer.
TEARS welled in the eyes of Masie Mosby as he heard the pride in his mother’s voice come down a crackling phone line.
“Yeah, I was starting to cry too,” the softly spoken Darnley Islander said.
“But I tried to stay strong to make her feel better.”
The call home to tell family he’d been selected in the prestigious Flying Boomerangs AFL leadership program was just the start of the young ruckman’s journey.
Selected after attending an AFL Diversity camp on the Sunshine Coast, the long-kicking left-footer packed his bags and headed to Melbourne for the five-day footy adventure earlier this month.
Picked alongside Rossville-raised speedster Rushon George, the talented teens teamed up with some of the best Indigenous players from across the country as part of the camp.
“It was a great opportunity for the boys,” AFL Cape York operations officer Jake O’Halloran said.
“They toured St Kilda footy club and attended the draft combine before playing against a World Team.”
The chance to play against another representative squad and learn about other cultures was a highlight for George.
“Getting to meet boys from around Australia and playing with them on the field was great,” the fleet-footed forward said.
“We did a war cry before the game. I felt pride and was really happy that I got to play down there … but it was pretty cold.
“I just enjoy playing.”
Both George and Mosby attend high school in Cairns while boarding at AFL Cape York House for Boys.
“These boys are in boarding for around 40 weeks of the year,” O’Halloran said.
“It means they spend a crazy amount of time away from their families.
“To give up that time to pursue their footy shows a lot of resilience and dedication.”
The talented duo will train with Cairns-based members of the Gold Coast Suns Academy until the end of the school year.
“It was a good experience to play somewhere new in an all-Indigenous side,” Mosby said.
