Kurt Herzog says Port Macquarie's Pat Mullens is on a similar path to what he was on as a teenager

Kurt Herzog believes Mullens has what it takes to reach the top in the pool after witnessing him in action during the Port Macquarie Swimming Club’s carnival on Saturday.

And Herzog is an athlete that is in a good position to judge, having been on the Australian Dolphins’ swim team before double shoulder surgery put him out of action.

“Pat’s 16 and when I was 16 I qualified for my first nationals,” Herzog said.

“He has already qualified for the national championships in the 400-metre and 1500-metre freestyle which were the exact same events I qualified for.

“He’s on a very similar path and seems to be starting that growing phase pretty late which is what I did as well.”

Over the next couple of years, the 2015 world championship swimmer said it was important for the Port Macquarie teen to get used to his body.

It was what could make or break his future in the pool.

“I think he’s a really good chance of coming good after high school because I see potential in him and the training program that he’s in under his father Michael,” Herzog said.

“He’s a great coach and if he keeps at it I see a very bright future ahead for him.”

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Herzog said it was important Mullens kept enjoying the sport while focusing on parts of his stroke that required fine tuning.

“Swimming is quite a brutal sport where you don’t get to compete as much as you’d like especially on a national stage,” he said.

“So when you race, it’s important to keep writing down the things you need to do to improve next time you race and then work on them.

“That’s really crucial because if you don’t know what you’re improving on, you have no purpose and you’ve got no goals to get to where you want to get to.”

The program run by Mullens’ father has already reaped the rewards over the years with swimmers going on to bigger things and Herzog saw no reason why that couldn’t continue.

“They’ve been doing it for numerous years now,” Herzog said.

“I know growing up I always remembered racing people in that gold Port Macquarie cap and I’d always look at them and know they were going to be quick.”

Herzog saw first-hand what the program is like when he trained here in 2013.

Port Macquarie products that have performed strongly are headlined by Olympian James Magnussen, while Mekayla Everingham also made a final at the Australian titles in April last year.

“They’ve always had a history of having a great squad and a great reputation with the likes of James Magnussen who were national age finalists,” Herzog said.

“They have great coaches and that’s why they’re at where they’re at today.”