The Riverview College back rower is a product of Wellington Walla rugby, an experience that has carried him in the past two years at the top level to the top level in schoolboys football. He has been at boarding school since year 7.

He played for NSW in the recent Australian Schools Championship win over Queensland where he took out the ASRU (Australian Schools Rugby Union) Dr Syd Sugerman Award for the NSW (1) team.

Mitchell, 17, went to the highest level of Australian Schoolboys rugby to be selected as captain of the Australian Schoolboys 1s side which beat a touring Tonga side.

Mitchell hopes to see his name on the Australia team list for the schoolboys touring game in Fiji and New Zealand.

He is acknowledged as a mobile and aggressive back row forward and he relishes the contact and loves the physicality of the tackle contest.

This has been his third season of First XV rugby at Riverview, a significant achievement in Sydney GPS competition. To make the top side from year 10 is rarely seen. He’s also been the captain this season.

Such is Mitchell’s talent that in two seasons he has started in five different positions within the run on side, being equally at home in the backline or in the scrum.

In 2011 Mitchell was selected in the Australian Schoolboys A side, and this year also made the Australian Junior Gold Youth Sevens squad.

As would be expected, he has also had to overcome some serious injuries and time off the field recuperating from surgeries.

So what does the rest of 2012 hold for Mitchell Whiteley?

The Australian tour side for Fiji and New Zealand is expected to be made mid August and there’s his HSC studies to complete. Next year he is looking at furthering his studies at Sydney University which will allow him to continue playing rugby.

Undoubtedly Mitchell’s biggest fans back home on the farm at ‘Bando’ Geurie are his parents Martin and Kim and brothers Lincoln and Ollie.

Lincoln, 16, is also at Riverview and plays for the 16s A-team while Ollie starts at Riverview in 2013 and currently plays for Wellington juniors.

Grandparents Vi Lousick of Wellington and Colleen Whiteley of Dubbo are also mighty proud of Mitchell’s achievements.

And, it’s not only in schools rugby union that Mitchell Whiteley has represented Australia.

In 2010 when aged 15 he captained the under-16s Australian polocrosse team, a sport enjoyed by all three of the Whiteley boys.