Waratahs recruit Will Miller gave up commuting from family dairy farm to chase his Super dream

SOME athletes give up booze or junk food to achieve their dream in professional sports. Waratahs recruit Will Miller gave up milking cows on his family dairy farm to chase his.

Will Miller at Waratahs training. Picture: Jamie Conroy

SOME athletes give up booze or junk food to achieve their dream in professional sports.

Will Miller gave up cows.

Miller, a new recruit at the Waratahs this year, has been a dominant force on the Shute Shield scene for a few seasons, and the No.7 captained Norths to their historic premiership win in 2016.

Remarkably, Miller’s footy feats occurred while he was still living and working on the family dairy farm in Berry.

Will Miller at Waratahs training. Picture: Jamie Conroy

He’d get up at 5am to milk the cows, work all day and then commute the four-hour round trip to Sydney to train and play on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday nights.

But after getting a call-up to play for the injury-hit Rebels last year, Miller secured a full-time contract with NSW for 2018 and the wish of his former Norths coach (and new Tahs forwards coach) Simon Cron for him to give up those 5am starts has finally happened.

“The last few weeks I haven’t but I have been going down on my days off and giving a hand here and there,” Miller said.

“My brother and my Dad don’t want me to say too much I think. It will get on their nerves. I am just telling them what to do and not doing the work.

“I have been living up here for the last couple of months, for the pre-season. I didn’t want to push myself too much, being tired after big days. I decided to stay up but I do make trips back on weekends and on my day off during the week if I am feeling pretty fresh.”

It’s fair to say Miller’s work ethic isn’t often questioned, on or off a rugby field, and his now-single focus on rugby training has seen him bulk up to 98 kilograms.

The 25-year-old’s role at the Waratahs is yet to be determined but as an open side flanker, it’s also fair to say — barring injury — he’s got buckley’s chance of unseating the incumbent, Wallabies captain Michael Hooper.

Norths captain Will Miller is hoisted above the crowd after leading the Shoremen to their first Shute Shield title in 41 years. Picture: Troy Snook

Hooper is known for playing every minute of every game but the prospect of limited game time didn’t faze Miller from signing on. “It’s good for competition and it’s good to learn. I look forward to learning as much as I can and adding to my game, which is probably a bit different,” Miller said.

“(NSW) is the team I have always grown up watching and the one I always wanted to play for, so it was a good time for me to get a call. It has been a great couple of months and I am looking forward to the season.”

Miller is not the type to just want an education, however, and his aspirations extend to wearing Hooper’s blue No.7.

Will Miller (L) with fellow Waratahs recruit Nick Palmer.

That may not happen swiftly — or ever — but he knows pushing for that goal will make him a better player.

“Everyone aspires to be the best and if you don’t you’re not going to set yourself up for the season. So obviously I would like to take his spot but if that takes as long as it takes, I have to keep working at it,” Miller said.

“It’s not something that is ever going to get given to you, especially as good a player as he is.”

The more likely scenario that will see Miller debut as a Waratah will be alongside Hooper, if and when coaches deploy two opensides.

Miller’s strength as an on-baller could arguably fill in Hooper’s one weak spot, and the Norths man gave a quality display with several pilfers against the Highlanders in Queenstown last week.

Originally published as Waratahs recruit Will Miller gave up commuting from family dairy farm to chase his Super dream