A 16-year-old ballboy who kept pace with Melbourne flyer Jahrome Hughes is still basking in his celebrity status, although league icon Phil Gould joked that his speed may disappear after making a few tackles.
Robbie Cliff became an internet sensation after matching it with Hughes and Ryan Papenhuyzen as the Storm ran 90 metres for their first try against the Warriors.
Among the suggestions on social media were calls for the Dolphins to snap up the speedster, while Gould has proposed a ballboy sprint race as part of the grand final entertainment.
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“We’re going to have to get a quick one to beat the kid in Melbourne,” Gould said on his Six Tackles with Gus podcast.
“He took off, he wanted the challenge, he got himself set.
“He only had to run 50 metres, the other bloke had to run 100 metres, and I don’t know how many tackles he made before he had to make the run, so he was pretty fresh.
“He could certainly hoot down the sideline. Good on him.”
Gould quipped that it was unusual to come across a ballboy who was focused on the game at hand.
“Ballboys, you’re flat out finding them half the time, they’re waving to Mum in the crowd and you can’t get the ball off them,” he laughed.
“I’m out recruiting a kid now, I’m going down to Little Athletics, I’m going to find a ballboy who can run as fast as that mullet on the weekend.”
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, Cliff’s father Jason played down suggestions his son was a match for Hughes.
“When it comes to speed I’d say he’s average. He had a 10m head start, and the camera angle was kind to him. It’s a great story. Everyone is loving the fact he looked like he was mirroring Jahrome down the sideline,” he said.
“If I’m being honest, he’s actually slower, but you never let the truth get in the way of a good story.”
The teenager has been making the most of his celebrity status at school.
“I actually think I was just as fast as Jahrome. I think I’m quick,” he said.
“All my mates have been calling me the “world’s fastest man”. It’s a bit surreal. I let him [Hughes] catch up to me, but I got him in the end.”
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