Local Sports Star Nominee Lucas Small excels in rugby league

Lucas  Small is only 11 years old but he is managing to master the art of taekwondo while also playing rugby league and Brazilian jujitsu.

Lucas Small is a big rugby league talent but also excels in the martial arts. Picture: Carmela Roche

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Lucas  Small is only 11 years old but he is managing to master the art of taekwondo while also playing rugby league and Brazilian jujitsu.

Having participated in taekwondo for the past four years, he achieved a second-degree black belt by the age of 10.

Talented Lucas Small, 10, plays taekwondo, rugby league and Brazilian jujitsu.

But the Kings Langley boy’s passion lies in rugby league and the Year 5 student with a small build has exceeded his parent’s expectations by tackling rivals much larger than him.

“I used to play soccer but I was getting a bit bored and I wanted to try something else … I’m small so thought jujitsu would help me tackle really big kids and it has,” Lucas said.

Lucas’s mother, Kim Small, said she was wary when he first enrolled in rugby league because he would be playing with “kids that are three times his weight and substantially taller”.

“He’s noticeably tinier than everybody, even at school,” Mrs Small said.

But the dummy-half and centre doesn’t find his size a problem. He eagerly attends training in an effort to improve before his games.

“He’s very committed to his training and it’s never an issue to get him there,” Mrs Small said. “It’s more of a punishment if I say he can’t go to training.”

Lucas has been nominated for the Local Sports Star’s Individual category.

Other categories include Junior Sports Star Team, Young Sporting Spirit (Team and Individual) and Service to Sport.

Nominate at localsportsstars.com.au/newslocal