By DANIEL TRAN
IN a nation where the Sherrin reigns supreme, American sports such as gridiron take a back seat.
However, the game most Americans spend a good deal of their lives
watching has a growing band of loyal fans in the land Down Under.
Gridiron’s success in Australia can be attributed to players such as
Richard Truong, of Noble Park, who lives and breathes the sport.
Truong, 19, has been playing gridiron since secondary school and says he loves the strategy involved.
“There’s more to it than you think,” he said. “It’s not just people smacking into each other. There’s a lot of planning.”
Weighing just 68 kilograms, Truong is not your typical gridiron player. But his size does not disqualify him from success.
“It’s all about technique,” he said. “It doesn’t matter about
size. I mean, I’m still short now. I’m only 167 centimetres but I’m
throwing around guys that are twice my size.”
However, the endless tackling can take its toll. “Every game is
pretty physical. You always feel sore after games or practices. You’ve
got to recover, take it easy.”
The civil engineering student plays for the Monash Warriors and
has completed stints for the Australian junior team. He played for
Victoria at the recent national championships in Canberra.
But while Truong has been lucky to play across the nation, not all
gridiron players can afford to travel. He would like the state and
federal governments to provide more funding for the sport.
“It’d really help us out with players trying to go to the States,” he said.
“Most of them get recognised going to play for Australia or
Victoria but then the cost of it all gets too much so a little bit of
support and funding would help.”
He encouraged more people to try gridiron.
“It’s great fun,” he said. “You meet new people, you make great friends. It’s just a great overall sport to play.”
