Former AFL player set to represent Australia in basketball
Craig Moller will break new ground over the next week when he becomes the first person to represent the Australian men's national basketball team after playing in the AFL.
Key points:
- Craig Moller played one AFL match for Fremantle in 2013
- Moller is expected to make his Boomers debut in their World Cup qualifiers against Iran and Qatar
- He played in Melbourne United's 2017/18 NBL championship-winning squad
Moller, 24, is set to debut for the Boomers against Iran (on Friday) or Qatar (Monday) in Melbourne, as they aim to secure qualification to the 2019 World Cup in China.
"The path I took by getting drafted in the AFL, I clearly didn't plan to be in the NBL, let alone the Boomers," Moller said.
Moller played junior Australian rules football in Sydney, before moving to Western Australia to pursue his AFL dream in 2013 after being drafted by the Fremantle Dockers.
External Link: @MelbUnitedHQ tweet: Craig Mollers journey from @AFL rejection to Boomers selection.
Standing at over two metres tall, Moller had hoped of developing into a ruckman.
He played for Peel Thunder in the WAFL and turned out for the Dockers in the AFL just once in 2013, the same season the club made the grand final.
But he never managed to take the field for the Dockers again, despite remaining on their list until the end of 2015.
"Fremantle were pretty successful in my three years on the rookie list, so there wasn't too much opportunity," Moller said.
"I played basketball as a kid and I think that was just my first love, and if I was going to make the switch that was going to be the time."
After deciding to switch sports and pursue basketball, Moller's 'pack-and-go' lifestyle was just getting started.
He has played basketball in Sydney, Ballarat and Hobart, prior to joining Melbourne United, who he helped win the NBL championship last season.
"Looking back, I should have been nervous, it hasn't been quite so easy to get into the NBL and where I am now," Moller said.
"I love it. Going to new places and seeing different things, playing in different environments — both [in] footy and basketball — it's more challenges that come up and I look forward to tackling all of them."
'We lose athletes the other way quite a bit'
Moller's unconventional journey has yielded unprecedented success, from an AFL-listed player to the Boomers squad in three years.
Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis said Moller's journey was an inspiration to younger players.
"You get a story like Craig Moller, who's put in the work and he gets rewarded with success, it kind of gives you that feeling like everything's right in the world," he said.
While the AFL boasts a number of ex-basketballers among its ranks, Lemanis said it was great for the sport to bring an athlete the other way.
"We lose athletes the other way quite a bit," he said.
"But it's nice to have that story that someone went and tried AFL and decided no that basketball was the thing for him."
Moller is cherishing his opportunity with the Boomers but he remained mindful of his place in the squad.
Most of Australia's best players are currently unavailable due to international club commitments in the NBA and Europe, so Moller's chances to travel to the World Cup next year are slim.
"I'm realistic that Australia's in the golden era at the moment with the NBA talent and the talent overseas," he said.
For now Moller is content with his role, hopeful of helping the Boomers on their journey to the World Cup as he continues his own unusual sporting career.
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ABC .net
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