Mackay trio shine for Australia All Stars in Malaysia’s Mirnawan Cup

Graduation in the morning, flight to Malaysia in the afternoon. Discover the incredible inside story of Mackay’s latest Australian representatives.

Haiden Mellifont, Kaleb Mayfield, and Sam Riggs travelled to Malaysia to represent the Australia All Stars. Picture: Supplied.

Graduating high school is a monumental moment in one’s life.

For many, it’s a time of relaxation and celebration as the crushing weight of exams collectively dissipates from shoulders, and a week free of stress and commitments lies in wait.

The graduation days of hockey talents Kaleb Mayfield, Haiden Mellifont and Sam Riggs were cut from a more obscure cloth.

For St Patrick’s College students Mayfield and Mellifont, the day began as you’d expect, with the pair graduating alongside their peers at about 10.30am and heading down to the Harbour for a celebratory swim.

By 4pm however it had taken an unusual turn, as they, along with Riggs, jetted off from Mackay Airport, Malaysia-bound.

The trio of budding hockey stars had traded black gowns for the green and gold as they prepared to suit up for the Australia All Stars in the Asia Hockey Federation’s Mirnawan Cup.

Haiden Mellifont and Kaleb Mayfield at their year 12 graduation, just hours before they jetted off to Malaysia. Picture: Supplied.

“We went swimming, then we got home, went straight to the Airport, and had a full day of travel to get to Malaysia,” recalled Mayfield of his whirlwind graduation day.

In keeping with the trip’s chaotic theme, Mayfield revealed he then met most of his teammates just eight hours before the first game.

“It made it harder but we gelled together well I thought,” Mayfield said.

“It was a bit iffy in the first game, just getting to know everyone and how they play, but we certainly built as the tournament went on.”

Due to logistical challenges, Hockey Australia hadn’t been able to organise a full national team for the under-17 representative tournament, and instead a team comprising only of players from New South Wales and Queensland was sent, hence the ‘All Stars’ moniker.

The Australians would compete against two Malaysian teams, South Africa, and India, and wound up finishing fourth, but would claim a notable 3-2 victory over South Africa.

“I thought I played well, I thought I had a strong tournament,” Mayfield reflected.

“I definitely made a few errors here and there just because it was out of season and we really only had a month to prepare.”

Mayfield was also afforded the honour of co-captaining the side, something he “never thought” would happen.

“Walking the team out was pretty cool,” he said.

“Now that I’m looking back on photos and videos it’s all sinking in, in the moment it didn’t really, it was pretty surreal.”

The Australian All Stars hockey team in Malaysia. Picture: Supplied.

Given it was his first time leaving Australia’s shores, Mayfield also soaked up the off-field experience.

“Just getting to know the culture over there, it’s a lot different to Australia,” he said.

“Going around and seeing the sights and then going to hockey, and mainly just meeting people from other countries was the thing I most enjoyed.

“We had a real bond with the South African boys because they were staying on the same level at the hotel, we made some good friends there.”

The trip capped off a successful two-year period for Mayfield, who has represented his state at U16 and U18 level, while also earning selection as a shadow player for the Australia U17s last year.

“The end-goal is to obviously make it to the Kookaburras,” he said of his hopes for the future.

In the short-term, he has his sights set on the Australian U18 side in 2024 and the U21s in 2025.

“That will certainly set up the hockey career going ahead.”

The All Stars’ Haiden Mellifont also recently earnt selection in Queensland’s U21 indoor hockey side, which will travel to Canberra to compete at the national indoor championships in early January.

He’s set to be joined by fellow Mackay products Edward Westcott (Open’s), Adrian Martin (Open’s shadow), and Patrick Sheedy (U21’s shadow).

In other Mackay hockey news, Keeley Walker recently made her Hockey One debut for the Brisbane Blaze, while Jordan Bliss and Claire Colwill began their U21 World Cup campaign on November 29 with a 2-2 draw against the Netherlands.