The 21-year-old, 196cm Kildare Gaelic footballer is on trial with Freo for the next fortnight in the hope of joining the club as an International rookie.
But the Gaelic version of footy remains amateur at even the highest level, so you could imagine his surprise when told Fremantle’s facilities were some of the most outdated in the AFL.
“They were taking me around the club and saying that they are getting new facilities, but these are the best facilities that I’ve ever seen,” Hurley said.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before.
“It’s so professional, the set-up is just unreal.”
Learning the oval ball version of football began with a handballing 101 class.
“I thought I knew how to handball, but I’m getting better at it,” Hurley said.
“I learnt all the small things. It’s great, I love learning that stuff.”
Out on the training track, Hurley lapped up the opportunity to get some of the vitamin D not so readily available back in the Emerald Isle.
“I love it, once you’re walking around and strolling around the sun is shining on top of your head and you’re as happy as Larry,” he said.
The stereotypically pale-skinned Irishman made sure to heed the travel advice on his country’s Department of Foreign Affairs website pertaining to high factor sun protection in Australia.
Covered in sunscreen and zinc, Hurley was in the midst of running laps of Fremantle Oval when club sports science manager Jason Weber whistled him in. ??“Jason called me in after about three sets of them because he said my face looked like a lobster,” he said.
“When you’re out on the pitch you feel it (the sun), but I felt okay.
“I wasn’t looking okay, apparently.”
So Hurley was given a wet towel and some more sunscreen before resuming his running.
For his friends back in Ireland, Hurley wanted to clarify that three laps of an Australian football field is different to what they were used to.
“The laps are fairly big compared to the laps at home,” he said.
“We only have a small pitch at home compared to what we were training on here at Freo.”
Something else that’s a bit larger than what he’s used to are the players themselves.
Hurley couldn’t believe the physical development of the Australian footballers.
“In the gym you see the size of the guys and they are only 20,” he said.
“You wouldn’t ever see a 20-year-old that size in Gaelic football.”?
Hurley’s only prior exposure to Aussie Rules was on the television back home, on Saturday mornings.
But they’ve taken it off the air, so he relies on YouTube clips to keep him up to speed.
He has read the book of Ireland’s most famous code-jumper, the late, great Jim Stynes, but the man Hurley’s generation of Gaelic footballers were inspired by was Sydney Swans premiership star Tadgh Kennelly.
Kennelly was the man who recommended Hurley as a possible AFL prospect.
“He is what got me here, he’s a man I go to if I need advice,” Hurley said.
“He’s a legend in Ireland and I take every word he says on board and try and act on it.”
Apart from learning how to handle waves at the beach, one of the big challenges for Hurley so far on his Australian adventure has been to learn the names of the Fremantle players he hopes to call his teammates one day.
“There has been so many, and I don’t know any names yet,” he said.
“I’ve only been here two days. I might get everyone to put nametags on themselves.
“I’ve met over 50 new faces in the past two days so it’s hard to remember names.”
For now, Sean Hurley will continue trying his hardest to ensure the Fremantle Dockers remember his name.
