By Rebecca Mills
 

Eight months ago, Stephen Coniglio was a seventeen year old living in Perth and facing the toughest decision of his short life. The talented sportsman had made headlines around the country as Australia’s sporting community waited for an answer – cricket or AFL?

For a kid who spent most of his life playing both cricket and footy, it wasn’t an ultimatum he saw coming. He captured the attention of talent scouts playing at an elite level in junior footy and cricket and eventually a decision had to be made. It was football.

Without even kicking a ball at an elite level, Coniglio found himself at the center of media speculation. If it wasn’t his code of choice, it was where he would be selected in the draft among the most exciting young football talent in the country.

Fast forward eight months and Coniglio finds himself sitting on the steps at the Blacktown base of the newest club in the AFL, reflecting on his first NAB Cup game and the decision that delivered him here.

“I started playing cricket when I was six and footy when I was about eight. It was never as if there was one that I liked better.

“I didn’t even realize I’d have to choose between them until the beginning of last year. Up until then, you just play for the love of the game and then it gets serious.

“I had my first chat with the WACA after our national carnival last year about their plans for me and how they saw my future. I knew then that they were keen for me to stay with cricket.

“Then, speaking to my footy coaches after the Under 18 championships about being drafted to the AFL, I knew that I was going to have to make a call.”

Coniglio’s love of both sports is obvious and he beams when he speaks about footy and cricket.

In the end, it was a choice that came down to Coniglio’s leadership aspirations and his belief that he could push himself harder physically on a football field.

“There were some nights where I was tossing and turning and trying to make a choice straight away.

“My parents just told me to ‘keep waiting and it will come to you’. I wouldn’t say it just came to me one morning but eventually it just felt right.

“I thrive on hard work. Cricket has that real skill element to it which I love. With football you don’t always have to have the best skills in every area but you can make an impact by being a hard worker.

“You can expose a lot of leadership in a big football team.”

Up until a few months ago, Coniglio had never done a full pre season of AFL training. His cricket commitments meant that the quick midfielder trained on his own, away from his teammates before the season began.

“I enjoyed preseason. It was challenging at times because I’ve never had a full preseason and I’ve done it by myself, but we’ve all worked pretty hard.

“There were a few tough sessions, I think the Cronulla sand dunes stick out in a few of the boys’ minds but it never got to the point where it was so hard I thought ‘I wish I wasn’t doing this’.

“When you’re training in a group it’s much better because you’re competing against each other.

“When you’re training by yourself, you might drop off for that split second but with the preseason we’ve just been through you certainly can’t drop off and you’re constantly trying to beat the person standing next to you.”

With a tough preseason training campaign behind him and his debut year in the AFL ahead, an excited Coniglio wastes no time wondering what could have been.

“Now that footy has started to ramp back up again, it clarifies the decision.

“When you’re home at summer watching the cricket you do miss it, but I don’t regret my decision.”

For the talented eighteen year old, it has already been an eventful summer but Coniglio’s eyes are fixed firmly on the future.

“I can’t wait for the home and away season to start. NAB Cup will be great for the next couple of weeks then it will get really exciting when we head in to the season.

“What I’m most excited about this year is definitely round one. It would be great to see everyone down there when we play the Swans.

“Round 3 is another exciting one for me. I grew up barracking for West Coast so I’ve definitely marked that one in my calendar and hopefully I’ll be playing.

“Those two games to kick off the season will be a massive thrill for me,” Coniglio said.