Tell me about packing up and heading to Queensland at a minute’s notice a few weeks back. It feels like a long time ago…
I was pretty lucky, actually. My partner recently moved up to Sydney, so I’m very grateful she’s there. I have some renovations on the go and my dog, so I’ve chucked all the load onto her. She’s project manager, she’s looking after the dog, she’s doing everything so I’m very lucky that she’s been there to take care of all that on short notice. For me it wasn’t too bad, but obviously other people have dogs and kids and families and deciding who was going to come up and who was going to stay was pretty hard for them. But it was good that a lot of the partners and families did come, and they’ve been looked after in Queensland since we left to come over to Perth. It just happened quickly, that was the only thing. We had to pack our bags and get going. But we get very well looked after as footballers, a lot of things get done for us, so it was just a matter of making sure we had what we needed and getting on the plane.
Has it been strange to not know exactly when you’ll get back home?
At times. But this year’s probably been about being prepared for anything, not just with football but with life. I know people in Melbourne at the moment are just rolling with the punches, and we’re the same. Usually playing AFL you can keep things in your control because you know who you’re playing, where you’re playing them and what day you’re playing. All that stuff. But obviously this year we’ve had to adapt to the unknown, and not knowing where we’ll be has just been another part of that. But everything has been so well organised. Like I said, wherever we are, we’re going to be well looked after. Everything is top notch. We’re staying in good hotels and still playing on good grounds and we as players just have to roll with the punches and keep turning up to train and play. It’s not that hard.
What’s the set-up like in Perth?
We’re at the Crown Promenade, so I’m overlooking the casino at the moment through my window. Downstairs there’s a nice outdoor pool area and lounge area. We didn’t have great weather when we got here, but we’ve finally been able to get out and spend some time out there. There’s also a rooftop bar area; obviously we’re not drinking, but we can go up there and sit around the tables and get some air. There’s also a fenced-off area where we walk 200 metres to a car park and then into a big park area around Optus Stadium. They’ve fenced off a section of that grass for us, so the boys can go out there to make a phone call or play some soccer. And we have dining areas, a big meeting area and a really nice indoor gym they’ve set up. There are parts where you can escape, which has been good, and there’s also a common area where the boys hang out 95 per cent of the time. That has the table tennis table, the three FIFA stations and a bit of corn toss or whatever it’s called. Even though we’re in quarantine, it’s the best-case scenario. I have so much respect for people who’ve had to do quarantine while stuck in their hotel room for two weeks straight. This set-up is so much better for our mental state. I can’t imagine spending 14 days in a room, that’s tough.
What have you been coming up with to entertain yourselves in the down time?
We have a FIFA comp on the go. We’re three quarters of the way through a table tennis comp and we’ve had our two trivia nights. There’s a bit of NFL Fantasy going down at the moment as well. We watched my doco last night, it was good to show that to the boys. I’m not sure they had high expectations of me, so the feedback was really good. And during the day we’re sticking to our normal schedule – pilates, massage, physio, meetings, gym and all that. And for me personally, I’m just trying to stick to my own routine and the things I’d be doing at home: getting in the water, meditation, making sure mentally that I’m switched on and coping. I’m doing my own washing, making sure my room is clean, all little things like that, trying to normalise it as much as possible so that I’m switched on for the games.
Do you need to be mindful not to overthink footy when you’re there together all day, every day?
Yeah you do. You tend to dwell on a loss more than you do with a win, and being in this environment has amplified that a lot. Having a long break after a loss has made us really want to get out and play, especially when you can see the ground from your hotel room. It can be hard to switch off when you’re surrounded by your colleagues, but they’re also great mates and we’re a tight group, so we like to spend time with each other. There’s been no fights, the boys are getting along well and there’s been a lot of good energy in the last few days. We’ve had some great meetings and great conversations about footy and balanced that out with having some fun and enjoying each other’s company in quarantine.
Has it also been beneficial to spend more time together? In Sydney the group was spilt up a bit more due to the Covid restrictions.
It’s interesting. We’ve come off two six-day day breaks and it’s obviously a compressed season and a lot of what we’re doing is about recovery and you’ve got to find that balance and make sure you’re not doing too much. But it’s easier logistically, for sure. Everyone is here; everything we need is in one spot. It was hard being in those smaller groups back in Sydney, but it was probably harder for the coaches having to do the same meeting on the same thing four or five times over. Being together, we can have better and more robust conversations as a group. I think that’s been the big positive, being able to be together in a bigger group and bounce more opinions off each other, especially after a loss where you want to have those big and open discussions as a group. That can only benefit us in the coming weeks. The more brains in the one room talking honestly, the better.
Who have been the standouts in the trivia and table tennis?
With the trivia, it was whichever group Matt de Boer was in. I think Lachie Whitfield and Aidan Corr were in there. And Jack Buckley is a bit underrated, he’s actually a smart man. The losers – down the bottom both times – were the masseuses/trainers. They were terrible. If you lost you had to crawl out of the room like a cat and miaow, so they weren’t happy with that. In the table tennis, I unfortunately ran into Adam Kennedy in the quarters and he’s a superstar. I think it will come down to Kennedy vs Ward, like it has done in the past.
Who’s been most annoying in the hub?
The usual answer would be Shane Mumford but he actually hasn’t been that annoying this trip, so I don’t know what’s going on with him. And Heath Shaw is usually a nuisance as well. I would have thought being stuck in quarantine would be his worst nightmare, but he’s been pretty good. I’m trying to think… maybe Brent Daniels? He carried on a bit at table tennis, he got a bit angry, threw a little bit of a tantrum when he didn’t get the result. But the boys haven’t got sick of each other yet. Coming into this as a close group already has really helped us. The boys are working hard and socialising and trying to make the most of it.
How’s the group holding up, generally?
Really well. It’s hard to fully gauge, but from the outside everyone seems to be going OK and coping well. Like I said, we’re being so well looked after and have nothing to complain about at all. We like to pride ourselves on being open and honest with each other about how we’re going, but obviously people will be missing their kids, their girlfriend, their wife, their family. But I think what we do have here is the best support, whether it’s from Dylan Addison, or the coaches looking out for us. Our psychologist is over here as well, so that’s been good. From what I’ve seen the boys are doing well, it’s just about getting that routine right and trying to replicate what we’d be doing at home as much as possible.
