The Warren youngster recently returned from the NSW Primary Schools Sports Association (PSSA) Swimming Championships at Sydney’s Olympic Park, where she took out gold in the 50 metres butterfly.

It makes her the top 10-years-and-under butterfly swimmer in the state. She’s also ranked second in the country.

“I can remember when I first took her over,” coach ‘Whiskey’ Andriske said.

“It was in the winter time and I was training Lachie Colwell at Dubbo and she was more or less hopeless at butterfly – she had all the bad habits.

“I just kept working on her and she started coming over to Coonamble two or three times a week from Warren, but she’s a great little trainer and she has improved out of sight. She really worked hard at it and the way she improved was unbelievable.”

Less than 12 months later, not only is Maddie no longer “hopeless” – she’s one of the best young swimmers in the state.

The butterfly specialist dominated the NSW Catholic Primary Schools Swimming Championships in March, claiming gold in the 50m butterfly, 50m breaststroke and 200m individual medley (IM), silver in the 50m freestyle and third in the 50m backstroke.

She will now turn her attention to the Pacific School Games at Adelaide in December, where she will represent NSW against the best young swimmers from across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region.

“It’s a great honour for her to make that,” Andriske said.

Dad Jason said qualifying for the Pacific Games had been Maddie’s goal for 2017, and she was “very excited”.

But Andriske is looking long-term, and said Maddie has what it takes to go “a long way” in the sport.

Her time at PSSA was half a second faster than Andriske’s former pupil Lydia Murray (who now trains under Australian coach Michael Bohl OAM in Brisbane) at the same age.

“That’s saying something,” Andriske said.

“I have had a few go to nationals and the Pacific Games. Lydia, Lachie [Colwell], I’ve had a few go to nationals and make a NSW side but it’s pretty freaky to get a kid who really wants to work hard.

“You come across these kids every now and again and she’s one of them.

“She deserves everything she gets because she really puts in and she listens too, she picks up things quickly … I think she can go a long way.”