Sonney takes a screamer

Promising young footballer Sonney Bartholomew displayed his athleticism this past Saturday to take an amazing mark in the Northern Riverina Football League (NRFL).

Bartholomew took the mark, shown in the accompanying picture, in a semi-final victory for the Tullibigeal Grasshoppers over the Barellan Football Club.

As the reigning Best & Fairest player of the Tullibigeal first grade side, Bartholomew’s spectacular play helped propel the team to a 19.15.-129 to 5.6-36 win over Barellan, booking a place in the Grand Final and keeping the potential of an undefeated season alive.

Having started playing football at just five years old, Bartholomew showed enough promise as a teenager to represent the NRFL’s Under-14s side in 2006.

In the team’s match against the Central West Football League Under-14s, he dominated and went on to win Best on Ground honours.

Additionally, Bartholomew was awarded the NRFL’s Rising Star award in 2009 and was a member of the Lake Cargelligo Tigers squad that went through the 2010 season undefeated.

Peter McFadyen, chairman of the NRFL, sees the mark as indicative of a bright future.

“He’s a great young player with heaps of talent,” said McFadyen, who has kept a keen eye on Bartholomew’s development into one of the region’s best players.

With an ability to take marks to rival Jeremy Howe, you might be forgiven for thinking that Bartholomew emphasises style over substance. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth, according to McFadyen.

He praised Bartholomew’s courage and endurance, saying that he is “as tough as they come – and has a heart like Phar Lap.”

Bartholomew remains a country boy at heart, though, with his burgeoning playing career taking place alongside days spent working on his parents’ farm.