By ADEM SARICAOGLU
IF Wyndham Vale youngster Jack Gallagher keeps succeeding in his sporting endeavours the way he recently has been, he’ll soon have the world at his feet.
At only 11 years of age, Jack is already showing all the signs he is going to grow into a fine athlete, excelling in basketball, football and athletics.
Of late, it’s been basketball that has taken up most of his time, with Jack currently plying his trade within the Melbourne Tigers’ organisation.
Furthermore, this year Jack also managed to find time to captain the Werribee Centrals under-11s team in the Western Region Football League.
A talented sprinter, Jack is also hoping to challenge himself against the fastest kids in the state as part of the South Melbourne Districts Little Athletics Club later this year.
It’s a lot to take in for any 11-year-old, but young Jack is determined to make the most of his given talents.
“As strange as it sounds being an 11-year-old, he’s my inspiration and he’s my hero because he’s just so dedicated and just makes you proud every day you get up,” proud dad, Adrian, said.
Already working with the likes of Warrick Giddey and Brett Rainbow down at the Melbourne Tigers, Jack will soon team up with footballing hero and now personal mentor, Anthony Koutoufides.
Jack has also recently started boxing training with his father, himself a handy sportsman in his day.
“He’s probably only doing (boxing) for fitness, but he’s quite good at that as well, so he’s just a real little goer,” Adrian said.
“He likes his sport, but most importantly he’s very determined in what he does, so he’ll go a long way – that’s just the work he puts in.“I’ve never seen an 11-year-old put so much work and effort in.”
At such a young age, Jack still has plenty of time to think about his future, but for now he truly believes he could pursue a successful career in both the NBA and AFL, not to mention his goal of running 100 metres in under 11 seconds by the time he turns 18.
As a footballer, though, the mad Carlton supporter (who’s only ever worn the number 43 on his back) is hoping to emulate the feats of some handy former skippers of his beloved Blues.
“I hope I could be like a little bit of Anthony Koutoufides and a little bit of (Chris) Judd, because Anthony’s pretty fast, Judd’s very skilful and he knows what to do with the footy,” Jack said.
