First the Olympics and then his rugby league dreams - Samuel Dobb wants to make his mark in judo before he contemplates a rise through the league ranks.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And just two years after trying judo for the first time, Dobb will get his chance to impress on the international stage when he competes at the Youth Olympics in Sydney next year.
The ''powerhouse'' teenager who's ''strong as crap'' has been picked on the Australian team for the five-day festival in January, in which 24 countries will compete in 17 sports.
Dobb only got into judo to improve his core strength for his rugby league, rugby union and swimming aspirations. But Beijing Olympic judoka Matt D'Aquino says the 14-year-old has what it takes to chase his goals.
Dobb trains with D'Aquino up to three times a week.
''He's got a hard training ethic and pushes himself to the limit every session He's definitely got the skills as well,'' D'Aquino said of Dobb. ''He's a powerhouse, strong as crap and has a good solid, stable base. And he uses his brain, which makes him even better.''
Dobb is reluctant to choose a favourite, but he knows he will have to make a decision between sports in the near future.
His coaches - Steve Dodt (sprint), Tom and Steve Hill (judo), Cameron Gledhill (swimming) and Adam Peters (rugby league) - have helped him juggle his training schedules.
But rugby union looms as the first sport to drop off, as Dobb considers a lighter work load.
''Not a lot of people [at school] know I do judo,'' Dobb said. ''I got into it to help my other sports, I started in swimming, got into footy and then they said come and try judo. So I did. I want to try to go to the Olympics and then play first-grade football as well.''
He swam in the 50-metre and 100-metre butterfly events at the school national titles and has been selected in representative league and union teams.
Former West Belconnen Canberra Raiders Cup coach Peters likened Dobb to Manly star Anthony Watmough.
''He's been handed some amazing attributes, he's got a huge arm-span for swimming, he's strong and he's quick,'' Peters said.
''Anything he does, he kicks a goal at it. He probably scored 30 or 40 tries this year. He's not big, but he's got muscle. And he's got the commitment to train every morning and afternoon … it's unreal.''
Dobb trains with Patrick Hill and Jordan Chapman, who have been selected as reserves for the Youth Olympic squad.
The 14-year-old is in the under-81-kilogram division in judo and his work in the gym has helped him in the pool and on the football field.
''My swim coach said to do gymnastics or judo to improve my core strength, so I tried judo and I got pretty good at it,'' Dobb said. ''I like the contact in judo, being able to throw people around is pretty fun.''
