Senior Correspondent Mike Osborne explains how a cousin’s invitation to play a game of Rugby Sevens turned league player Maurice Longbottom into an Olympian.
A decade ago Maurice Longbottom didn’t know how to play Rugby Sevens or even that it was an Olympic sport, but he’s heading into next year’s Paris Games as a celebrated face of Australian sport.
Longbottom, from Sydney’s La Perouse, started his career as a rugby league player but has since clocked up more than 130 Sevens games for his country.
And now with a year until the Paris Games, Longbottom finds himself featuring in the Australian Olympic Committee’s promotional videos.
“I played league my whole life until I was about 21,” he says.
“Mostly with South Juniors and then I had a dabble in the under 20s with the Bulldogs. But it wasn’t working out.”
But in a quirk of fate Longbottom found himself playing in the Ella Sevens, the marquee event for Indigenous Sevens Rugby named after the famed Ella Brothers – Gary, Glen and Mark.
“I got invited to go play the Ella sevens tournament one year with my cousin,” he said.
“I fell in love with it after the first game and it sort of took off from there.
“But I didn’t even know it was an Olympic sport and I had to go and learn all the rules.
“And that lesson was learned the hard way when we were playing a tournament in Paris.
“A kick got put in behind and I ran and slapped the ball dead thinking it would be a dropout, but it was a penalty.
“I got a yellow card and had to sit out for two minutes.”
But it was all worth it when Longbottom was selected to play for Australia at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
The elusive back who has scored more than 70 tries for Australia then played at the Covid delayed Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
With the Sevens team already qualified to play in Paris, Longbottom will head to his second Olympics as one the country’s most experienced players and a role model for other indigenous athletes.
While the Australian women’s Sevens won Olympic gold in Rio 2016 and will head to Paris as Birmingham Commonwealth Games champions, the best result for the Australian men at a major games has been a silver medal behind New Zealand at the New Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.
“It’s always a massive challenge against them as the old foe,” Longbottom said of the Kiwis.
“New Zealand are our World Series champions at the moment and I can’t wait to play them.
“I’m super excited to face them in Paris.”
Longbottom also hopes to extend his career through to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I’ve still got a few more years left in me,” the 28-year-old says.
“My body is holding up pretty well. I have a few injuries at the moment that we are trying to get to settle.
“Playing six games over two days in a Sevens tournament certainly takes its toll on the body.
“But there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. I love it.”
And Longbottom sympathises with his fellow rugby players in the Wallabies squad facing a World Cup in France later this year without a win under new coach Eddie Jones following the 38-7 loss to New Zealand.
“I know it’s tough for them,” he says as the Wallabies prepare for another clash against the All Blacks in Dunedin on the weekend.
“No doubt the boys are putting in the hard work off the field and I’m sure they’re going to throw the kitchen sink at the All Blacks and see what happens.”
Michael Osborne has been a journalist for more than four decades including 35 years with the national news agency Australian Associated Press, rising from junior reporter to Editor.
He was AAP Editor for 11 years and served four years as Head of Sport and Racing. He was also posted to London and Beijing as AAP’s Bureau Chief and Foreign Correspondent.
He has worked at six Olympics and five Commonwealth Games, covered tennis grand slams, golf majors, international cricket, rugby world cups and numerous sporting world championships. He also co-ordinated and managed AAP’s teams and coverage at three Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and London 2012.
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