At the backend of a challenging year, the emergence of exciting talent Wayne Milera Junior has been one of the major positives of Adelaide’s 2018 season.

In recent weeks, Milera’s growth in confidence has taken his game to a new level and his ability to find space and break tackles with apparent ease has not gone unnoticed with the fans.

“I’ve been finding a bit of confidence and feeling confident in the role I’m playing and at the senior level,” he said.

“It (the fending off) is a bit of a natural instinct for me now that I’m more confident in the strength of my body.”

With experienced half-back Brodie Smith sidelined for the majority of the year with an ACL injury, the 20-year-old has stepped up to fill his big shoes.

The former forward spent his off-season transitioning into defence, taking inspiration from players like Smith, All-Australian defender Rory Laird and strong lock-down defender Luke Brown.

“I watched a lot of tape on Smithers’ and Lairdy’s games to observe their running patterns… I also watched a bit of Browny too because he’s such a good lock-down defender,” he said.

Milera has excelled on the half-back flank, averaging 18.8 disposals per game in the 17 games he has played so far this season.

In Round Six, he had a breakout game, collecting 33 touches in Adelaide’s 48-point win over Gold Coast.

“I was apprehensive about the shift to defence at first but once I started training there more I really enjoyed it,” he said.

“Everyone in the backline has been really helpful and supportive of me.”

As for his recent selection in the 22under22 squad, ‘Junior’ said he was grateful to be recognised amongst the calibre of young talent chosen, including fellow Crow Tom Doedee.

“I’m not surprised at all that he (Doedee) was selected… he’s a star,” he said.

Last week, Milera joined his teammates in visiting a number of multicultural schools across Adelaide to offer training sessions to students.

He acknowledged the importance of being a strong role model for Indigenous youth off the field.

“It’s always good to get out to schools, I remember how exciting it was for me as a kid when the players would come to visit,” he said.

“It’s so important to be a good role model and show the kids they can achieve anything they want.”

Growing up, Milera idolised Crows legend Andrew McLeod, who has dedicated his time to supporting Indigenous youth since he retired in 2010.

As he got older, Milera found himself admiring skilful small forwards Eddie Betts and Cyril Rioli.

In his three years at the Club, Milera said Adelaide had been making strides in the reconciliation space, but there were always areas to improve.

“It’s all about feeling comfortable and giving us (Indigenous players) the support we need to be strong,” he said.

“Implementing the Reconciliation Action Plan has been good and I’ve found a lot of support through our Aboriginal Liaison Officer, who is there to educate everyone, not just Indigenous players, about our culture.”

He felt improvements could be made around the cultural awareness training within the Club.

Reflecting on the 2018 season, he said the two Showdowns had been standout memories.

“The Showdowns I played in before this year were both blowouts so it was great to play in two really close games and come out with a win at the last one a few weeks ago,” he said.