JETS fullback Matt Millar was a talented triple-jumper growing up in Victoria.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He had the three key ingredients in spades - speed, power, timing.
The 23-year-old is using those same traits to develop into one of the best attacking headers of the ball in the A-League.
The spring-heeled former 400 metre runner is anything but a giant, standing 178cm.
Incredibly, he has a vertical leap of 34 inches (86.36cm). The average vertical leap from a standing start for an adult male is 18 inches (45.72cm). College basketballers in the US average 30 inches (76.2cm). Millar ranks just outside the top 15 % of players in the NBA.
Both Millar's goals this season have been from headers.
He climbed above the pack and directed a header into the left corner in the 4-1 loss to Sydney in round four.
Then, against Adelaide in round nine, he hung in the air and turned anther Dimi Petratos corner inside the near post.
He could easily have had three or four more.
"Before this season, I hadn't scored many headers," Millar said. "It's a new facet of my game. Chris Smith (strength and conditioning coach) has had us doing a lot of explosive stuff in the gym. It is also about reading the delivery from Dimi and getting to know what areas to attack.
"I did a bit of long jump and triple jump when I was young. It's a similar process, you move two or three steps and jump. Being explosive and being able to read the ball flight is a massive thing."
As well as improve in the gym, Millar has been working with veteran defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley on technique.
"I used to be quite erratic, move the whole neck and flash at a header," he said. "I have been doing some work with Topor on making good contact and almost letting the ball hit you. It is a good skill to develop.
"At the Mariners I didn't get much of an opportunity to go forward for corners. They used me at the back with my pace to cover the counter attack."
Jets coach Ernie Merrick has been equally impressed by Millar's "ability to head the ball" and "courage".
"He should have more goals and will have more goals," Merrick said. "He gets above everyone and is very brave. He had a huge head clash with Alex Grant against Perth. He just shook his head and got on with it."
Millar returns to home territory for the Jets' crunch clash against Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park on Sunday.
"The boys have a laugh at me because I ask for about 30 tickets to the game," he said. "I get all the family down, the brothers and cousins. It is a great opportunity for us to kick start our season."
"If you look at the ladder it is so tight. It's a funny league. You win one or two games and you are in the six. We have to stop talking about winning them, we have to go out and do it. We are putting on good performances the thing now is getting a result."
