34 Tigers’ Miglio tops for tries
A JUMP to the left, a gun No.7 and the right place at the right time.
Tully’s Greg Miglio says his formula for feasting on meat pies in 2015 was as much about others as it was down to his own form.
The 22-year-old held off biggername rivals, including Troy Kapea and Aaron Jolley from the Tigers, to scorch his way to a CDRL-best tally of 20 tries.
Switched with Fabien Tauli on the minor premiers’ right edge at the start of the year, Miglio proved a revelation for Tully – and one hell of a headache for defences.
His awkward running style and underestimated power drew favourable comparisons to Dragons star Jason Nightingale.
Also aiding Miglio’s development was the early-season addition of Cowboys under-20s bound playmaker Jake Clifford, allowing the sort of quality ball any outside back thrives on.
“I kept a bit of a tally in the back of my mind but I had no idea I would have scored the most in the competition,” Miglio said.
“It was a good year for me and playing centre and having Jake there helped me a lot.
“I think I was just in the right spot at times too.”
A backrower in his junior days, Miglio’s stellar season caught the eye of keen observers in a nod to his evolving talent.
“It would be really nice if an opportunity at a higher level came up,” he said.
“But I will just do what I do here at Tully and hope that’s enough.”
Miglio’s triumph in the four-pointer category adds to Tully’s bittersweet season.
The club dominated The Cairns Post’s annual CDRL Players’ Poll, claimed the minor premiership for a second straight year and featured prominently in calculations for the Gold Medal, ultimately won by Tully-born Innisfail half Colin Wilkie.
Yet a second successive finals failure took the gloss off the individual milestones.
“It was definitely disappointing,” Miglio said.
“But I think we can look back and say we had a pretty good season.”
Innisfail’s grand final hero Matthew Healey did enough to finish as the competition’s leading pointscorer, in front of Jolley and Kangaroos’ weapon Bradley Stephen.