At 195cm tall and weighing 135kg, Scott Morrall is making a huge impact in gridiron, being named in the Australian under-19 team after just one season.
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Morrall, who turns 19 next month, has been named in the Australian under-19 team for the World Cup in China at the end of June.
To say, the Thornton teenager has been an enthusiastic convert to the sport is an underestimate.
But the former Maitiland Magpies under-19 goalkeeper has matched his passion for the sport with hard work – spending at least three hours a day, six days a week in the gym to build him up for the demanding sport.
Morrall earned his stripes in the Australian under-19 offensive line at right back after playing with the Newcastle Cobras senior team last year and trying out an Australian training camp.
“I played my first season last year and absolutely loved it. I played men’s because there was no junior team. I was the only under-19 player playing in the men’s team,” he said.
“An opportunity came up for me to go to the Australian under-19 training camp. It was pretty rare going down in your first year.
“But it worked out and I’m playing for the Australian under 19s in the World Cup to be held in China in June.”
Morrall is in the second year of a light-auto automotive apprenticeship and plans to have a shot at playing US college football, once he has completed his trade.
The hours in the gym will build him up for the demands of the feeder competition for the NFL.
“I work from 7.30 to 4.30 and then I’m in gym from 5 to 8.30 each day,” Morrall said.
But Morrall said size was not enough as the game required a lot of skill and technical knowledge of the plays.
“A lot of it is based on footwork. You’ve got to move the defence into a particular spot otherwise it all falls apart,” he said.
“You can be the strongest man in the world, but if you don’t understand the game you will not progress.”
Morrall’s family are holding a number of fundraising events to help with his travel costs to China.
The major event is a trivia night on May 28 at the Pat Hughes Hall in Thornton.
People can book tables of 10 or turn up on the night and be teamed up others. Tickets are $15 a head and to book call Lisa Murrell on 0412 771 970.
