Brothers hit gridiron field running

Baldivis teenager Mitchell Crookes has only been playing American football for three years, but his resume already boasts international representation.

Alongside older brother Liam, the 16-year-old travelled to China last month to compete for the Junior Australian Outback team in the International Federation of American Football World Cup.

After his performance as a running back in the cup, Mitchell was named as the youngest member and one of just a handful of Australians on the Junior World Team.

Mitchell began playing a few years ago after being spotted by a few members of the Rockingham Vipers gridiron team.

They suggested he attend a training session as he was big and tall, and the rest is history.

Brother Liam, 17, was busy playing AFL, but after watching his brother for a year, decided to join in the fun.

“The game is tricky — it took a whole season to get the hang of,” Liam said.

“It’s hard-hitting and fast-moving and a real change from AFL.

“AFL is a steady game and builds up, while American football is so fast — one play and it’s over.

“It’s all about the team too — if one person makes a mistake then the whole play doesn’t work so you really have to work together a lot.”

Liam began his career as a quarter-back just one year before his selection on the Australian squad. In the lead-up to the IFAF World Cup, the boys attended a training camp in Queensland and took on the New Zealand team as a warm up.

Once they arrived in China, they played the home nation, Austria and Japan, while the Canadian and US teams also attended.

To keep fit and ready for the Gridiron West competition when it begins later this year, the brothers spend much of their time lifting weights.

“A lot of our work is focused on strength training,” Mitchell said.

“It all depends on which position you play, but agility is also a big part of the game.

“As brothers, every now and then we get a bit competitive and try and see who has scored the most touchdowns.

“There has always been a rivalry, but now it is a bit different because we are on the same team.

“We do give each other constructive criticism sometimes.”

Liam attends the Sports Education Development Australia College and is hoping to develop his gridiron skills in future.

“I have been talking to schools in the US about possibly getting a place on a team there,” he said.

“The offensive co-ordinator for the Australian team is the offensive line coach at a college in Minnesota and he did a bit of recruiting during the World Cup.” Mitchell, who attends Bal-divis Secondary College, is not old enough just yet, but hopes to follow the same path as his sibling.

For now, the boys are busy preparing for the upcoming season with the Rockingham Vipers in which they look set to defend their 2015-2016 Gridiron West championship title.