Nathan Sobey is this week playing for the Australian Boomers basketball team but did you know he was also a handy footballer?
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Sobey played for Warrnambool and District league club Russells Creek and won the club's senior best and fairest award after playing just seven games in 2009.
The basketball star played three senior footy games in 2010 according to the sportstg website. He kicked 12 goals in 2009 and three in 2010.
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He featured in the best players in most of the matches, including being named his team's best player in four consecutive games in 2009.
Sobey was named the Creekers' best when they were defeated by Panmure in a 2009 elimination final.
Going through the archives, The Standard described Sobey as Creek's X-factor 11 years ago.
Former Russells Creek teammate Damian Osborne said he had no doubt Sobey would have been a 200-game AFL player if he hadn't become a basketball star.
"Just with his athleticism and ability to run, he had a lot of spring," he said.
"He would take good contested marks and his ability to kick on both sides was fairly freakish at that age."
Osborne explained Sobey played his junior footy at Warrnambool Blues in the Hampden league and came across to Russells Creek in his late teens.
The former Russells Creek captain said Sobey "just dominated" on the field.
Osborne recalled one match where he was at full-forward and Sobey was in the ruck.
He said Sobey would kick the ball sixty metres and hit him on the chest, lace out.
Sobey would swap in the ruck with Sam Nevill while also playing on-ball.
"His agility was pretty good, you could tell he had a basketball background," Nevill said.
Osborne said Sobey only played seven games in 2009 due to basketball commitments.
He played even less in 2010 as he prepared for a basketball scholarship in the United States.
Sobey got his first Olympic minutes in the Boomers' group B victory against Nigeria on Sunday night at Saitama Super Arena.
South-west fans will now be keen to see how he goes in Australia's second game which is against Italy on Wednesday at 6.20pm (AEST).
Osborne and Nevill wished Sobey all the best for the Olympics.
Osborne, who is involved with Warrnambool junior basketball, said Sobey was a massive advocate and role-model for that organisation.
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