What club did you support growing up?
The Kangaroos. I was a big Wayne Carey fan. My dad trained with the Kangaroos when he was 16, and he came down for a couple of months before he got homesick. Albury was the zoned area for the Kangaroos, so he ended up going for them and then he brainwashed me.
Using one word, how would you describe the life of an AFL footballer?
Intense.
What is your favourite team to play against and why?
Richmond. I played against them in my first game, and we always seem to have good battles with them. There's also a bit of rivalry between us with 'Plough' (coach Terry Wallace) being there, and a few ex-Bulldogs, so that builds it up.
Is the game becoming too fast?
No, I think it's good. It's certainly more exciting for the crowd. If you asked them, I'd reckon they'd say they were enjoying it more. It gets rid of the flood and the boring tactics that some coaches come up with. It allows the fitter teams that do the hard work during the pre-season and during the week to get on top by the end of the game. I think it's good.
What is your favourite football memory?
My first game was very exciting, and winning the under-18s national championship with New South Wales was also an exciting time. Those two are the things that really stick out in my mind, as well as the first final we played against Collingwood – my first final – in 2006. It was a good win.
What would you call the new Gold Coast and West Sydney team if you had naming power?
Geez, I don't know. The Gold Coast Surfers? I don't know for West Sydney.
If you could be any other player, who would you be?
Probably Matthew Richardson -- he's had a great career over a long time. I suppose I wouldn't want to be in his shoes now because he's coming to the end of his career but maybe with the way he's playing he might have a while left. It's just the way he's able to play up the ground, play down deep forward, take big marks, kick goals – he can pretty much do anything. He's very athletic, and I had the great opportunity to train with him last week [for the Hall of Fame Tribute match], and he just trains hard and works hard on his game, so he's someone that stands out for me.
THE TEAM
Who's the most annoying player to room with when you go interstate, and why?
I room with Lindsay Gilbee most of the time, and we've been doing that for the past four years. I always room with him. I can't stand people that make noise in their sleep. Like most people, I'm a light sleeper when I start sleeping, and I can't get to sleep once that starts happening. I haven't had many times like that because I've been with Lindsay most times, and we know each other quite well now. We know each other's patterns, so it's good.
Who considers himself the most fashionable at the club?
Everyone seems to say 'Gia' (Daniel Giansiracusa), and he certainly is, but I think 'Higgo' (Shaun Higgins) usually looks pretty good when he's out and about.
Who would be the most un-fashionable?
I wouldn't call him unfashionable, but Ryan Griffen never cares what he's wearing. He could be wearing tracksuit pants and a nice long coat. He just wears weird things. He's not the most unfashionable, because when he wants to, he dresses very well. But he's someone who stands out as someone who could be wearing two completely different things at one time.
Who's got the best singing voice?
Rob Murphy. I watched him a couple of years ago on The Footy Show 'Screamers', and he's very good, very impressive. He sings a bit around the club when we have the I-Pods going, and he usually gets into a bit of a zone and likes to sing to himself a bit.
What's an amusing fact about one of your teammates that not many people know?
Jason Akermanis gets really bad gas when he drinks normal protein stuff, so he's got to have the rice protein. He gets a very upset stomach, so you don't want to be around him when he's drinking normal protein drinks.
If you had to pick one of your teammates to take on a date, who would it be?
Would have to be 'Johnno' (Brad Johnson). He's just a gentleman; a lovely fella, and he's always got a smile on his face.
What's the funniest Rocket moment you can think of?
In a game over in Adelaide, we'd been beaten and we came straight into the rooms afterwards and Rocket came in, and he'd just shoved a couple of lollies in his mouth before he started to speak. Then he started going absolutely berserk and lollies came flying out everywhere, and we were all trying not to laugh because it was obviously very serious as we'd been beaten. I don't think he noticed that he'd done it, and we controlled ourselves, but they just came flying out everywhere and he kept trying to go on with what he was trying to say. It was quite funny.
AT HOME
Who do you live with?
My fiancé Samantha and our little dog Oscar.
Who does the cooking?
We both do. It's a time where we like to catch up on things, because we obviously don't see each other too much during the day. We take that time to prepare and get ready for tea, and have a chat. We both like to be in there, doing the cooking.
How are you in the kitchen?
It's probably one of my favourite pastimes, to pull out a cookbook and go and get fresh ingredients to cook something up. I consider myself not too bad, because when I moved out at 17, I lived with a family in my first year. But after that, I lived with my mates from back home, and I was usually the cook for most of them. I had to learn pretty quickly.
If you were having Rodney Eade around for dinner, what would you cook?
I'd get my partner to cook lasagne. She does a very good lasagne.
Who does the housework at your place?
Sam. I do help when I can, but she does 75 per cent of it.
What's your most used appliance and why?
Probably the blender, to make my protein shakes. I use it pretty much every day.
Do you have any pets?
Oscar is a beagle, a little sniffer dog. He's losing his cheeky streak but he's still got it there a little bit.
What is your most annoying habit?
I'm very fidgety. I can't sit still, I'm always up and about and doing stuff and it annoys the hell out of my partner, but that's just the way I am: full of energy.
RANDOM QUESTIONS
Are you generally a cat or dog person?
Dog.
If you were stuck on a desert island, what three things would you want with you?
I-Pod, water, and my footy.
What's your ideal holiday spot?
Tahiti, Bora Bora. We're going there for our honeymoon at the end of the year, so it's going to be good.
What's your idea of a perfect day?
Sitting on the beach all day, with good seafood. Maybe down in Lorne, I love it down there, with the beautiful waves. I love getting out there, body surfing and stuff. And then heading out for tea and some more seafood.
What action hero would you most like to be, and why?
Superman was always my favourite when I was growing up. I've got the boxers and a couple of pairs of socks, so I'll say him because he can do everything.
What sort of car do you drive?
Mazda 6.
What's the most embarrassing song on your I-Pod?
"Mmm Bop", by Hanson. I used to love it as a kid and I just had to have it back on there. When I bring it in, I make sure I skip it because it's a bit embarrassing, but that's got to be the worst.
