'Alfie' fan studying to become next sensation

BOLTER Leon "Lightning" Bott turned his back on rugby and knocked back a stack of dollars from rival rugby league clubs in the hope of one day playing for the Broncos

By WAYNE HEMING of AAP

BOLTER Leon "Lightning" Bott turned his back on rugby and knocked back a stack of dollars from rival rugby league clubs in the hope of one day playing for the Broncos.

It was a brave gamble for a 17-year-old ? he's since turned 18 ? who's still going to high school. But after notching five tries in three pre-season trials, The Gap high school student and schoolboy sprint champion is five days away from a meteoric rise to making his NRL debut at Suncorp Stadium.

Bott was in class yesterday when coach Wayne Bennett announced him in his starting team to play the Cowboys in front of a crowd tipped to nudge 50,000.

He's the first player in the Broncos' history to be picked out of school to make his first grade debut. The only thing in his path is a niggling calf strain, which restricted his training this week.

But yesterday's news will be better than any medical tonic for the youngster, already likened by some as a slightly shorter version of Bulldogs' destroyer Matt Utai.

It was reported last month that Bott, who grew up in the heart of Canterbury, had rejected an offer from the Sydney Roosters worth five times what he is getting from the Broncos.

The reason for turning down the Roosters offer was because he wanted to play at the same club as his favourite player, Lote Tuqiri.

"He's loved the Broncos all his life, ever since he was a baby," Leon's father Fred said yesterday. "He loved (Allan) Langer and (Darren) Lockyer. (Gorden) Tallis is an inspiration to him.

"He was born and bred in NSW but he loved Queensland. I don't know why."

While Tuqiri, who has since switched allegiances to rugby union, stands an impressive 191cm, Bott is just 175cm.

But he is all speed and power.

He's probably quicker than Tuqiri, Wendell Sailor, Michael Hancock, Dale Shearer and all the other speedsters who've come through the club since 1988. He scored a length of the field try against Melbourne at Car-rara and backed it up a week later in Bundaberg with another beauty, fending off defenders like flies. Bott has been clocked to burn over 100m in a tick over 10.8 seconds.

Originally published as 'Alfie' fan studying to become next sensation