The family heartbreak, tragedy, that motivates West Coast NGA draft prospect Malakai Champion

Malakai Champion has endured more heartache than most on his road to the AFL. He opens up to ELIZA REILLY about the family tragedies driving him to reach the top level.

It will be a bittersweet draft night for West Coast NGA prospect Malakai Champion.

On one hand, he’s set to realise his lifelong dream of becoming an AFL player.

But on the other, he won’t be able to share that moment of elation with everyone he holds dear.

Two weeks after moving from Kalgoorlie to Perth in late 2021 to chase a career in football, Champion’s dad passed away. Since then, he’s also lost an uncle, his grandfather and his great-grandfather.

Champion considered quitting. But the resilience he’s forged in the face of heartbreak has shaped him into the person and footballer he is today.

“I still expect Dad to walk through the front door or ring me up,” Champion said.

“I’m still processing it.

“When you lose people who are so important, you don’t leave bed for a couple of weeks.

“It hurts to not have them here. Some of the things I’ve got to experience this year, to not have my dad here as well as several other important people, it brings a lot of sadness but also drive.

“If I do get drafted, I think I’d cry because I won’t have some people here when my dream comes true. But it will be a dream come true to hear my name called.

“I know that I’ll have my family sitting next to me on the couch. Those who aren’t with me, I know they’ll be watching from somewhere.”

Malakai Champion opens up on the family tragedies that have shaped him

Malakai Champion competes at the draft combine.

Those that remain in Champion’s corner have been unwavering in their support. His grandfather used his life savings to buy the family a house in Perth, giving the 18-year-old a base to pursue his fledgling Subiaco career and state duties.

With an uncle like Eddie Betts, who he’s wasted no time emulating, and mentors like Brad Dick and Gerald Ugle, it’s no surprise that Champion is on the verge of following in their footsteps.

“I like to think that I read the game well, whether that’s the bounce of the ball or the ruck taps,” he said. “I’d say I’m a pretty smart footballer but I bring speed and skill.

“I want to be someone that Indigenous kids really look up to. My Indigenous idols are Eddie Betts and Cyril Rioli.

“You grew up wanting to be like them. To have little kids look up to me as a footy player would mean a lot. I hope I’m on the right path to be that to other Indigenous kids.”

In a football sense, Champion is one of the most exciting players to watch in the WA draft pool. To be drafted as a small, and Champion is small standing at just 172cm, you need to be elite in other areas.

At the AFL draft combine, Champion finished second in the agility test and fifth in the 20m sprint with a blistering time of 2.938 seconds. Combined with a deep bag of tricks and intrinsic goal sense, Champion has turned his perceived flaw into a strength.

“I’ve always been the smallest so I’ve always had to work a bit harder than the other guys,” he said. “I know most aren’t as fast as me but they’re probably 10x stronger.

“I’ve worked a lot more on my skills because I know I won’t have much time. But I like putting my body on the line because that’s the player I am.

“Country football has helped with that.”

It certainly has.

Champion made his senior football debut at Miners Rovers aged 15.

Then this year, he played five league games for Subiaco, kicking three goals against West Coast’s WAFL team on debut.

“It was a dream come true,” he said.

Champion playing for the AFL Academy.

Malakai Champion is likely heading to West Coast.

“I got to play with three legends of the club in Leigh Kitchin, Angus Dewar and Ben Sokol who I grew up watching as a 10-year-old in Kalgoorlie.

“Getting to pull on that jumper truly meant a lot to me, especially having all of my family come down from Kalgoorlie to watch me play.

“It felt similar to country football. You just need to be clean and quick. You can’t fumble. I felt like I was a kid playing in Kalgoorlie again. It was physical and it was fast. I really enjoyed it.”

While it’s understood that an opposition bid is unlikely to come, the Eagles are still set to draft Champion later this week. He’ll become the ninth West Coast NGA graduate to find a home on an AFL list, a feat he credits to his experience inside the club’s four walls.

“It’s given me a lot more motivation to become an AFL player,” he said. “Being in that environment makes me feel so happy and on top of the world.

“It’s driven me to become a better player. Things like being able to access the gym, recovery and the locker room, it made me feel a part of the club.

“I’ve just been focused on finishing off the year well. If any club picks me, I’d be on top of the world. But it would be good to go to West Coast.”

Originally published as The family heartbreak, tragedy, that motivates West Coast NGA draft prospect Malakai Champion