POPPING THE QUESTION

Q

You recently got engaged to Renee. How did you pop the question?

A

That was just before Christmas. It was pretty casual. We went back to Sydney for Christmas and decided to drive back. I just did it in Angourie (in northern NSW) on the beach there on the way home. I got the blanket out and dropped the knee. I had a picnic set up and that’s about as romantic as I get. It set us up to have a good holiday and break. We are both really excited going forward.

Q

How did you first find your way into playing footy when you were a young child?

A

I had a different pathway. I really enjoyed watching AFL when I was a kid. I used to go to the SCG with my grandfather to watch the Swans play when I was about five. Then I gravitated towards rugby union because my dad played it. I went to a rugby high school, Barker College. All I ever wanted to do was play in the First XV at school. In Year 9 my close mates were big Aussie rules fans so I played with them on a Sunday very casually. Collingwood had a wide reach and they had some people at the games watching. It evolved from there on the old NSW scholarships they used to offer prior to the academies.

Q

Do your friends from back then still take credit for getting you into the AFL?

A

Yeah, they do a little. They remind me when I need to shout the beers. No, they were great for me growing up. They were really close mates growing up through school and we are still really close now, which has been nice.