Margaret River pair Okie Fraser and Brody Mulik win Taj’s Small Fries titles at Yallingup Beach

Margaret River pair Okie Fraser and Brody Mulik were the local stars of the 20th edition of Taj’s Small Fries held at Yallingup Beach last week. Fraser enhanced his reputation as one of the country’s best young surfers by winning the under-18 boys division and Mulik emerged victorious from the under-16 boys competition. A dominant showing in the competition was capped off by a brilliant showing in the final from Fraser, with his two-wave score grading out at 16.98 from a possible 20. He was pushed all the way by Queensland’s Will Martin, who fell short despite producing a near-perfect ride on his second wave scored at a 9.38. Fraser said claiming the title on the South West’s biggest stage for junior surfers was “a dream come true”. “We scored pumping waves and it’s really good to have all the competitors come over to the west and score some proper waves,” he said. Mulik’s score of 14.05 in the final was enough to hold off his New South Wales opponent Joey Silk, with the young gun saying he was delighted to be part of the “sick event”. “The waves have been so good and I’m so stoked to share that final with Joey, who was ripping all weekend,” Mulik said. The South West was well represented across the finals, with Cowaramup’s Jack Bowdell (under-14 boys) and Margaret River’s Luna Thomas (under-12 girls) finishing as the runner-up in their divisions. The event’s host Taj Burrow was unfortunately not able to attend the 20th edition of the tournament due to an ear infection but the former world tour surfer said he was delighted to see it continue to build on a legacy, giving rising stars a chance to shine. “The waves at Smith’s Reef turned on, and it was so exciting to see these groms push their limits and rip in such challenging yet fun conditions,” he said. “Congratulations to all the champions and competitors – this event keeps getting better, and I’m so proud of what we’ve built here.” Surfers came from all over the country to compete in the event, with Queensland’s Meika Locke (under-18 girls) and Kobi Lana Partridge (under-12 girls), New South Wales’ Lucy Darragh (under-16 girls) and Henry Smith (under-14 boys) and Victoria’s Estella Carbonelli (under-14 girls) winning their divisions. Bali-based eight-year-old Alessandro Dotti was the only international surfer to claim a title, stamping his status as one to watch by emerging victorious in the under-12 boys competition.