By JARROD POTTER
ALWAYS check your junk mail – you never know what you might find in there… perhaps your son’s state schoolboys’ football invitation.
This was the weird way Magpies midfield powerhouse Connor MacDonald found out he was about to take his local football talents into the national arena.
MacDonald, 12, from Narre Warren South, thought he had been passed over when other players started congratulating each other on making the School Sport Victoria (SSV) under-12 boys’ football team.
But for some reason it was routed to his mum’s junk mail folder by mistake.
“He’s saying ‘Mum just tell me the truth, other people on Instagram are congratulating each other’ and I said ‘mate I haven’t got anything’,” Connor’s mum Georgia said.
“But it was in my junk email all along.”
Connor’s dismay soon turned to joy as he discovered he would get a chance to represent the state at the championships in July, after making it through three arduous rounds of trials.
“It was pretty hard, but luckily I made it through,” MacDonald said.
“I was very excited that I made the team.
“My first training session they put everyone in positions and stuff and I was lucky enough to be read out in the midfield so I’m pretty happy with that – it’s pretty good so I’ll get to run all day.”
An all-round athlete, MacDonald had made the SSV athletics team last year, but making the team for his biggest passion – football – is just that little bit more satisfying.
His one aim is team-oriented as he hopes to be part of the premiership winning side at the end of the carnival.
“I’d just love to win the grand final and if we all play as a team I reckon we’ll get the chocolates,” MacDonald said.
In the meantime he’s running through the centre for Narre Warren Junior Football Club and enjoying his time at his new school – Rowville Sports Academy.
“I didn’t really want to go to a normal school, I wanted to get better at my football and it’s great that I can do that during my school time at Rowville,” MacDonald said.
He especially wanted to thank his parents for their support of his footy dreams.
MacDonald and his side will head to Geelong next month for the SSA Australian Football 12-Years and-Under Championships.
