Tut thrives on thrill of the chase

By Justin Robertson
KONG Tut grew up dreaming of mixing it with the best on the basketball court. That was his plan.
A three-year stint with the Berwick basketball team and some 20-plus trophies later, up until last year the 18-year-old seemed to have found his calling.
But after a friend’s suggestion of “having a go” at football, Tut has excelled as a forward in his second season with Narre Warren’s under-18s and will take part in his first grand final this weekend.
“Footy is just so much fun and the physical side is great too – I just got into it straight away,” he said. “I’m starting to love it more than basketball.”
The Sudanese-born footballer moved to Australia in 2002 with his family and despite taking up basketball initially, Tut has taken to the game of football like a natural.
Consider his recent form: he was recently awarded equal winner of the under-18 Casey Cardinia best-and-fairest and should poll well in Narre’s awards night. And, on the weekend, he played an important role up forward booting three goals in their nine-goal win against Berwick.
“I just chase the ball around and try and get it,” he said. “At first the ball was hard to adjust to, but I’m used to it now.”
With a taste of football over the past two years, Tut’s plans have changed and he firmly believes football is his new career path.
“Yeah I’m really into now and it’s something that I think I can go far with,” he said. “To play for a team in the AFL, like Collingwood – my team – would be a dream.”
He even sounds like he’s grown up with the sport as he talks about this week’s grand final against Beaconsfield at Edwin Flack Reserve.
“Even though we lost to them earlier in the year by 16 points, I reckon we have the goods to top them on Saturday,” he said. “But, yeah, I’m really pumped for it, it’s going to be a pretty special day.”