Never-say-die attitude drives Haley’s dream

This article was first published in the Daily Liberal, Dubbo

By Anthony Cini

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again – this is the motto for up and coming AFL player and former Dubbo resident Mitchell Haley.

His life has been a whirlwind for the past 12 months, after he relocated to Canberra to play the game he loves.

Determined to play in an AFL premiership one day, Haley has had to face the likes of AFL legends Jason Akermanis and Amon Buchanan in order to reach his goal.

Although currently on call to play for the under-18 Greater Western Sydney (GWS) Giants team, Haley has devoted his time to playing for the Queanbeyan Tigers, while he waits for his chance to play in a premiership game in the future.

“I’ve played a handful of games in the Giants Reserve Grade in the past year. They sometimes call me to play for them last minute and then I’m lucky enough to get an opportunity to play my best,” Haley said.

Following his success at the State Zone Trials at Coffs Harbour earlier this year, Haley was selected to play in the GWS Giants Academy Squad.

Once in the squad, he believed he didn’t have an opportunity to show his full potential and played in just one game out of three against the Sydney Swans Reserve team, which he said wasn’t his best performance on the field.

After he joined the Queanbeyan Tigers, he was called again to play for the under-18 Giants in a game against the Brisbane Lions Reserve team, which happened to feature former Swans midfielder Amon Buchanan.

“While it was great to play against someone like Buchanan, it was also a very tough game.

“I was also lucky enough to play against (Jason) Akermanis. I cannot begin to explain how good he played. He knew what was going to happen in the game before it actually did. We were down three goals in that game, and I think this was because we were quite intimidated by his performance. It really shows how much one person can influence a game… and I can see why he’s a Brownlow medallist,” Haley said.

That game had the biggest crowd of any game Haley had ever played in, and people were there, he said, to see Akermanis play. He said he wasn’t daunted at all by the big crowd, as it gave him a buzz and “got him going.”

Haley, a Sydney Swans supporter, is already in pre-season training and will head to a fitness camp in November to prepare for the 2013 season with the Queanbeyan Tigers. He described the schedule as tough, particularly if something was not done properly.

“I’ve heard in the past people have done 15-kilometre runs while holding a canoe over their heads. This would have to be done in a certain time, and if it isn’t done properly it’ll have to be done again,” he said.

“I think I’ve always been pretty fit and am a long-distance runner. I guess every time I get knocked back after a loss with the Tigers or GWS, it helps me train a lot harder and now can see myself getting bulkier and bigger for my next AFL game.”

For the next few months, Haley will throw himself into training for the 2013 season, hoping he will have his best year yet, and finally make it into the AFL.

“I definitely want to make it into the AFL. It’s my dream and has been for a very long time,” he said.