{"id":291681,"date":"2023-09-08T02:05:18","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T02:05:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=291681"},"modified":"2023-09-08T02:05:18","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T02:05:18","slug":"the-soaring-saint-from-the-land-of-the-rising-sun","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-league\/the-soaring-saint-from-the-land-of-the-rising-sun\/","title":{"rendered":"The soaring Saint from the land of the rising sun"},"content":{"rendered":"

By <\/span>Greg Baum<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Young Saints star Mitchito Owens.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n

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Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.<\/p>\n

Mitchito Owens says the first word he spoke was \u201cdo itashimashite\u201d. In Japanese, it means \u201cyou\u2019re welcome\u201d.<\/p>\n

Owens and his older brothers Kai and Tomo are the sons of an Australian father, Cameron, and a Japanese mother, Maki, who met when he was teaching her English at school in Tokyo. His Christian name is an Anglicised version of Michito, a common Japanese name; the added T neatly shortens to Mitch here.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Mitchito Owens between two Lions.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Getty Images<\/cite><\/p>\n

Owens says his family regularly spoke Japanese at home when he was young, he went to Japanese school for a while and his mother still talks to him in her native tongue from time to time.<\/p>\n

His facility with the language dulled when COVID interrupted what previously had been annual return trips to Japan with the family, but he was pleasantly surprised to find how quickly the words came back last off-season when he went back on a trip sponsored by AFL Japan. He says he has always understood Japanese better than he has spoken it. Kids generally do!<\/p>\n

Owens grew up and still lives 10 minutes down the road from St Kilda\u2019s Moorabbin base and had a classic southern suburbs footy and school upbringing, but he came to the club via its next generation academy, established by the AFL at each club to further Indigenous and multicultural representation. So it was that the Saints were able to match a bid from Sydney to secure him at 33 in the 2021 draft.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s fair to say that Owens\u2019 progress this year has been as surprising \u2013 even to him \u2013 as his provenance is exotic. Last year, he played seven games. This year, he has played all but one \u2013 which he missed because of concussion protocols \u2013 and thrilled fans with his brave marks, long goals and general footy smarts. He finished third in the Rising Star award.<\/p>\n

For reference, the two players who shaded him, North Melbourne\u2019s Harry Sheezel and the Brisbane Lions\u2019 Will Ashcroft, were Nos.3 and two respectively in last year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve definitely been surprised,\u201d he said. \u201cAt the start of the year, I was pretty much focused just on playing round one and working from there. So I\u2019m surprised by the way I\u2019ve gone so far. I\u2019m pretty happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Owens attributes his emergence to a heavy-duty pre-season shared with the Saints\u2019 tight cohort of younger players, notably fellow academy graduate Marcus Windhager. \u201cEspecially Marcus. He\u2019s very fit,\u201d he said. \u201cI was just trying to chase him all the time. Even in the gym. We\u2019re both very competitive, so that helps.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spate of early season injuries opened up a spot on the forward line in round one and he has not let it go. He says he has revelled in playing under Ross Lyon\u2019s stewardship. \u201cHe has such high standards. And I love how smart and tactical he is as well,\u201d he said. \u201cHe sees small things so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every now and then, there is a bit of Lyon-speak to interpret, harder even than Japanese. \u201cSometimes he has you thinking, what the hell does that mean?\u201d Owens said. \u201cBut the more time I spend with him, the more I understand his riddles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Owens is not yet 20 and not every element of AFL footy has come as easily to him as he sometimes makes it look. \u201cThe mental side of it has been pretty hard,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard to play consistent footy, as everyone would know. It can get to you a bit mentally. If you have one or two bad games, you\u2019re like: what am I doing different? What\u2019s wrong? I struggled with that a bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The extra attention that comes with greater prominence also has challenged him. \u201cPeople hyping me up; I hate seeing myself in that sort of stuff,\u201d he said. \u201cI felt it put a bit more pressure on me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assistant coach and dual Brownlow medallist Robert Harvey had an answer. \u201cHe pretty much put me in the middle and drew a circle around me and said, all that matters is the four walls of this club,\u201d Owens said. \u201cAll you can control is your own actions, and that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Owens finished third in this year\u2019s Rising Star award.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Eddie Jim<\/cite><\/p>\n

He says he tries to avoid publicity, only for his mother to alert him to each new appreciative story or post. That is a mother\u2019s prerogative.<\/p>\n

Defying science, sporting talent manifests where and as it will. Owens says his father was a handy local footballer for bayside clubs, but who knows what would have happened if he hadn\u2019t taken up a job in Japan?<\/p>\n

There, he played for the Samurais in a rudimentary AFL league in Tokyo and met Maki and so it began. Now Kai is playing for Frankston and excited some interest in last year\u2019s mid-season draft, Tomo is playing footy seriously for the first time after a stint playing basketball in Japan, and Mitch is the new darling of Saints\u2019 fans. \u201cWe\u2019re a very competitive household,\u201d Owens said.<\/p>\n

Other legacies of the Owens\u2019 Japanese background were more predictable. He is acutely conscious that half of his teammates are from interstate while he could walk home, always to good cooking. \u201cWe encourage those boys to come over. It\u2019s the least we can do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Owens\u2019 favourite dish is katsu curry. \u201cShe made that for the boys one night and they loved it as well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

By favourite, he means to eat rather than cook. Unlike his footy, his cooking is on a low flame. \u201cMum\u2019s trying to teach me,\u201d he said. \u201cShe\u2019s pretty impatient with me because I\u2019m really slow.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

St Kilda\u2019s Mitch Owens kicks a goal against Gold Coast.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Fox Footy<\/cite><\/p>\n

Owens grew up as a North Melbourne supporter and thrilled in his schooldays to watch them play finals under Brad Scott. He went to finals last year because he loves watching footy anyway. But he has only ever played two games on the MCG. His third will be a final, and he can hardly wait.<\/p>\n

Away from footy, Owens said he was learning carpentry one day a week and tried sometimes to play golf with embarrassing outcomes. Otherwise, his hands are full with his golden retriever puppy. \u201cI\u2019ve got to walk her most mornings and afternoons,\u201d he said. \u201cMum helps.\u201d Don\u2019t they always?<\/p>\n

So life\u2019s rhythms develop, with footy always at its heart. Owens said he was beginning to feel at home in the game now. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing smooth about AFL footy. It\u2019s full of ups and downs,\u201d he said. \u201cBut one thing that\u2019s probably increased from last year is that I\u2019ve got a lot more confidence in myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dynamic forward suits \u2013 for now. \u201cI\u2019m more than happy with wherever the coach wants me,\u201d he said. \u201cBut ideally when I get a bit older, maybe a Dusty [Martin], [Jordan] De Goey mid-forward role would be pretty nice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meantime, switched-on Saints fans might think back on this season and Owens\u2019 blooming and say to him: \u201cArigato.\u201d And he, well-bred as he is, will reply: \u201cDo itashimashite.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. <\/i><\/b>Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter<\/i><\/b>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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