Joseph Colak and Tomi Prusac to play at National Futsal Championships

Two of Geelong’s most exciting young futsal prospects will test themselves on the national stage after being picked in Victorian teams. Find out how you can watch them live.

Geelong futsal player Tomi Prusac has been selected for the state's under-12 team. Picture: Supplied.

Two young local futsal players have been picked in Victorian underage teams for a major carnival starting on Wednesday.

Joseph Colak and Tomi Prusac have been selected for the under-13 and 12 state teams respectively ahead of the Football Australia National Futsal Championships in Parkville.

The tournament will be live streamed on the Geelong Advertiser website with every game exclusive to KommunityTV from Wednesday.

With nine youth divisions and three open competitions to compete at the State Netball and Hockey Centre, Victoria qualified for three grand finals last year.

Prusac said he devoted about eight hours a week to training on both futsal and soccer, with both codes complementing each other.

Young futsal player Joe Colak has been picked in an underage Victorian team. Picture: Supplied.

“I worked so hard, all my commitment to football and futsal paid off,” Prusac said.

“My favourite sport is soccer and they’re very similar but in the same way very different.

“It’s competitive and I can have fun playing, I just love having the ball at my feet, kicking it, dribbling, using my speed, defending, putting in a tackle, it’s all fun for me.”

Prusac said the feeling of being picked in the state team rivalled that of when he was inducted into Western United’s academy.

The 12-year-old Western Heights student, who began his soccer journey at North Geelong, was picked for the state team following a trial in Darebin a few months ago.

“Luckily I was good enough to be picked after just one trial,” he said.

Meanwhile, Colak said he loved the fact he was always involved in either attacking or defender.
“I love how quickly the game can turn, scoring lots of goals in a short amount of time,” Colak said, who first got involved in the sport in Zagreb, Croatia in 2018.

After returning to Australia in 2020, he aligned himself with Futsal Geelong to compete in tournaments around the state while also playing for the Warriors in Melbourne.

“Training was once a week on a Saturday afternoon with coach Josh Sasic … (the) sessions are the best,” he said.

“They are so intense, competitive, and Josh always encouraged us to work on our technique and creativity.”

He said futsal had helped his outdoor game immensely and built his confidence. 

Originally published as Joseph Colak and Tomi Prusac to play at National Futsal Championships