Wearing the Azzurri of Italy was something James Olivero never thought he’d achieve but at the Harmony Cup a fortnight ago, the young rugby league player did just that.
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“Take me back a year, I never thought I’d be representing Italy – it was an incredible experience,” Olivero said.
The Griffith Waratah Tigers junior was a part of the Federation Italian Rugby League Australia (FIRLA) under 16s side that competed at the Harmony Cup in Sydney before the side took on Group 10 and the Western Rams a week later.
Olivero jumped at the chance to trial for the side which was made up of players mainly from Sydney.
Just a few months later he was able to take to the field for the Italian team.
“Pulling on the Italian jersey and representing my heritage [was the highlight], it’s a great feeling and a massive honour,” he said.
“It was really good meeting all the boys. I’ve got a lot of good friends up in Sydney now.”
The main hurdle for Olivero was adjusting to his role amongst the team.
Making the task even harder was the dummy-half’s inability to train with his teammates due to geographical issues.
“Because I live in Griffith, I couldn't make training during the week,” he said.
“I went straight into a new team with people I didn't know but it was still a good experience.
“I bonded with everyone and it taught me a lot of things about my game.”
After some tough games at the Harmony Cup, the under 16s side rallied together to put in top performances against the Western Rams and Group 10 the following week.
Olivero really found his feet and claimed the man of the match award in the hard-fought loss to Group 10 before he was forced to sit on the sidelines for the game against the Rams due to a corked leg.
The young Waratah loved the feedback from the coaches and felt his game had gone to another level following the experience.
“I learnt a lot from the coaches and it was good to play a bit of representative football,” Olivero said.
“It was a lot different to normal club football and you learn a lot more about different coaching styles, plays and all those sorts of things.”