SEAN QUINN | TOOWOOMBA TELEGRAPH | 29 JUNE 2013
University Cougars player Manylok Males could be following in the footsteps of North Melbourne's Majak Daw, the first Sudanese Australian to be drafted into an AFL club.
Malek, 18, said before he moved to Australia in 2004 he had never even heard of AFL, but now he can't get enough of the sport.
"I started playing in 2011 when Ross from Hume Ridge Church of Christ introduced me to the game - he said I might enjoy it," Malek said.
"I rocked up and didn't know what to expect, I thought you just picked up the ball and ran around, like catch or something."
From there, MAlek and a few of his friends, who are also Sudanese, started playing for the Cougars' Under 16 side and developed a passion for AFL.
This is Malek's first season playing A Grade in the AFL Darling Downs Allied Pickfords Cup and he admitted to being a little nervous with the move.
"At first I didn't feel like playing because I thought 'these boys are way better than me'," Malek said.
"I wasn't as confident because I hadn't been playing as long, but all my friends motivated me to do it. I played one A-Grade game and I thought it was fun, so I kept on doing it."
According to University coach Shane Melrose, the 200cm tall player has been playing well so far in the season, and Malek is a welcome addition to the Cougars.
"He was doing well in the Under 16s, but I didn't think he'd come over to play A Grade so it surprised us all when he did," Melrose said.
"Each game he plays he's getting better - he's definitely an asset to the Cougars."
Malek said Majak Daw was his inspiration to play footy and he looks up to how far he had come in the AFL.
"When I first started playing AFL, I noticed there weren't many African players so I searched online to see if there were any others," Malek said.
"That's when I discovered Majak Daw and I watched videos of him playing - after that I decided to keep playing so he's my inspiration."
Last Modified on 16/07/2013 16:15
