"I went to watch him and they were low in numbers so they asked me to jump in.
"I liked the competitiveness and it gives me self-confidence," says Murdoch who finds it keeps him in shape for his schoolboy rugby team. He lauds Gliddon for honing his skills to aspire to accomplish his goals.
"I'll try to be the best I can be. I won't stop until I get to the top," he says, thankful to mum Melissa for taking him and Finlay to the champs.
Gliddon also took 8-year-olds William Vautier and Roark Zachary to the champs.
Dillon, who attends Hastings Intermediate School with Finlay, got on the podium for a silver medal after three fights against Aussies in the under-41kg grade for 12-year-olds.
She won the first bout on submission, the second on points but lost the final one on points in the race against the clock.
Dillon took to jiu jitsu two years ago on the suggestion of her father, Stephen.
"I used to do scouts but I was very rough so dad said I needed to do something [more physical]," she says, ending up at the gym for practice.
The idea of rolling around on a mat, burning up energy and putting opponents into submission had an instant appeal. "I like the way people were moving around on the floor and it looked like a lot of fun."
Her flirtation with scouting is over although she still enjoys camping with her father.
For Dillon, the Melbourne trip opened doors to a new horizon.
"It was my first time leaving North Island," she says, keen to return to the champs next year to see how she'll fare against 13-year-olds.
She was hoping to play in the Super Six Soccer competition in school in winter but a broken arm, from a trampoline accident, put paid to that.
Her father, mother Leanne, and sister Amie, 5, went to Melbourne, too.
"My coach is awesome. He's a very good teacher," she says, following training sessions twice a week after school.
