Winning Edge Presentations Rising Star of the Month, Rounds 9-12 - Hamish Millar (Springvale White Eagles)

Who would have thought that two of the three rising stars so far would come from the same family?

Dandenong Thunder's Matt Millar became the inaugural Rising Star of the Month, but now it's his older brother Hamish who has stolen the gaze of FFV's match reporters with his recent performances on the wing for NPL 1 club Springvale White Eagles.

FFV's Julian Trantino caught up with the 19-year-old, who has become the second Springvale player to receive this award so far this season.

JT: Congratulations Hamish. Your younger brother Matt won the first Rising Star of the Month award, so how does it feel to emulate his efforts and grab this honour too?

HM: He (Matt) doesn’t shut up about it actually! It’s great. It’s one thing I’ve been aiming to do, just to get my name out there. Getting this award is pretty good.

It’s also the second month in a row that a Springvale player has been named the Rising Star of the Month, following Vojo Milojevic’s efforts from Rounds 5-8. Is there a bit of friendly competition among the young guys at Springvale?

Definitely. We’ve actually got quite a young squad and I believe our average age is in the low 20s. Vojo’s a great player, great technically and very fast. It’s a good young side at Springvale.

Do you lean on the more experienced players at the club much?

I do listen a lot what they say. They’ll always give you advice and it’s important to take that on board, but you also have to be your own player as well and just try and keep getting better each season.

How have you rated the past month, both on a personal and team level?

I reckon I’ve been playing pretty well, but probably could be creating and scoring more goals. I really like to run, get the ball out wide and hammer down the line and I’m constantly chasing over the 90 minutes.

We’ve been playing pretty well in most games but we haven’t finished our chances and could be higher on the ladder.

Where were you before you came to Springvale?

I was at Springvale last year in State League 2 South-East and before that I was at Casey Comets for a couple of years. I did all my juniors at Langwarrin and Berwick.

Some would say State League 2 to NPL 1 is a big jump. What differences have you noticed in this step up?

It’s (NPL 1) a lot more physical and lot of the players are more technical. Last year there was a lot of kicking the ball long, but now it’s more possession-based and technical.

You’re only 19 and obviously have a lot of football years ahead of you. What are your aspirations?

I’m hoping that in the next three or four years I can make it into one of the A-League squads.

The Rising Star of the Month is awarded to the NPL or NPL 1 player under the age of 20 who receives the most votes for the month from FFV's match reporters.

Image credit: Mark Avellino