The AFL New Zealand Rising star award for round 6 of the 2016 Premiership has been awarded to Western Crows forward Joseph Alesich-Tamariki.
Rosmini College student Joseph Alesich-Tamariki kicked 4 goals for his Western Crows side in their win over the Central Giants during round 6 in the AFLNZ Premiership and has been vastly developing since his debut in round 1. Alesich-Tamariki has found a home in the forward line where his strong marking ability, accuracy at goal and great speed makes it hard for defenders to stop. His development has come through hard work and commitment to AFL and at only 17 years old, he will continue to get stronger and push hard to be a regular in the NZ Senior national side in years to come.
Alesich-Tamariki in action for the Western Crows“Since playing in the premiership Joey has grown each week taking on feedback and applying to his next game. As a 17-year-old in the premiership getting the amount of ball he has is great. It will be interesting to see how he applies his learnings against stronger opposition players and in different positions.” Mick Coultard, AFLNZ High Performance Manager.
AFL New Zealand had a chat with Joseph during the week.
What school do attend?
Rosmini College in Auckland
What kind of sports did you play growing up?
Growing up I played Softball, Soccer, Rugby and Rugby League
How did you get into AFL?
In 2013, Mick Coultard (High performance manager) came into school to take our class for an AFL session. He invited me to come along to a testing day that AFLNZ were holding but it clashed with Softball at the time. In 2015, I gave up Softball which freed me up to play AFL which I now really enjoy.
What do you enjoy about playing AFL?
Learning new skills, making new life time friends.
I also enjoy testing myself playing against older and more experienced players and getting feedback and advice from them.
What are your goals for AFL in the future?
My goal is to play AFL professionally at the highest level for a club in Australia.
What do you think your biggest advantage is out on the field?
Probably my speed around the ground and also my marking ability.
