Sport
22 July, 2025
Young gun sets sail for national comp
TOLGA could have a future AFL star on their hands with a young local heading down to Brisbane to represent the state at a national schoolboy’s carnival this week.
Tyson Lockett is a Year 10 student at Atherton State High School and was recently selected to represent Queensland at School Sport Australia’s (SSA) Australian Football Championships.
“I was pumped to learn I had been selected, and I’ve been full of excitement knowing I was going to represent Queensland at the national level, but with that comes a lot of nervous energy,” the 15-year-old said.
The youngster has called Tolga home for several years, being from Tasmania originally, and travels to Cairns multiple times a week to train and play with the Centrals Trinity Beach Bulldogs.
He plays ruck and centre half forward, which is where he will play in the state team.
“I enjoy playing in a team environment with my mates. I have played with the same group of mates at club level since the super sixes, up until now playing U15s at the Bulldogs,” he said.
“I come from a family of Aussie Rules supporters and footballers, so I guess you could say I was brainwashed at a very early age.
“My favourite player is Issac Heaney from the Sydney Swans, and I would love to play AFL at a higher level one day.”
His father Kent was beaming with pride when he found out his son was selected in the Queensland team.
“I am extremely proud of Tyson for his commitment and dedication to the sport,” he said.
“We have travelled to Cairns two times a week for training and games for the last eight years because AFL isn’t a preferred sport on the Tablelands.
“Tyson, alongside his teammate Samson from the Bulldogs, were the only two boys selected from the Cairns region, with most of the players coming from the metropolitan areas in the southeast.
“Tyson was born in Tasmania and has been raised in an AFL household supporting the Sydney Swans. Ironically, his first game will be against Tasmania.”
The Queensland team will then take on Victoria and New South Wales, and depending on the outcome of those games, they may come up against Western Australia and South Australia.
The youngster will be off to Brisbane today (Wednesday) for a few days of training before playing in the week-long competition from this Saturday until the following Saturday.
