Sean lived with you when he first moved over. What were your first impressions?
He’s a great man. He fitted in really well, always offering to cook and clean and do all the right things. He’s a fine, up and coming young man.
Did you notice any interesting habits?
He’s pretty good at dropping fish sauce. I came home one day and there was a funny smell in the house. He hadn’t cooked anything, and I said to him, “Can you smell that?” He said, 'I dropped a bottle of sauce, I’m not sure what it was'. It turned out to be a full bottle of fish sauce. He thought he had cleaned it up and I walked into the kitchen and there was brown sauce everywhere. So that was the end of his cooking time.
So he’s not that good at cooking, but obviously he is quite a good footballer. What are your thoughts on his scope for improvement over the next couple of years?
His willingness to learn is a huge asset that he has. He walked in the door day one, always asking questions, always wanting to improve his game. That's a great strength to have. He’s obviously going to build his fitness base over the next couple of years and learn different bits and pieces off a lot of people. He’s got a huge future at the footy club.
He’s been at the club for less than a year, what changes have you noticed during that time?
His capacity to run from the day he walked into the club until now has been a huge growth area and that's only going to get better with the more pre-seasons he gets under his belt. His strength is a huge asset. He’s really well built for his age. If he gets a bit of fitness under his belt over time, and he’s still learning the ropes, he’s going to be a quality player for a long time.
You’ve spoken quite often about the influence Simon Eastaugh had on you when you were an up and coming player. Are you taking a similar role in mentoring Sean and what advice do you give him?
Easty had a huge influence and still does on the way I go about my football and off field as well. I think at this point in time I’m just passing on little bits and pieces and trying not to overload him too much but he’s always asking questions. I sit in his reviews of his tapes most weeks and you can see the growth in those areas. It’s just good to see him improving.
Finally, what are your thoughts on the club locking him away for the next three years?
It’s great. It’s great that he wants to be at the footy club. It’s a great place to be, a great place to learn. You walk in these doors and you come out a better person. I see Sean as a 10-plus year player and if he keeps up the attitude, and the willingness to learn, he is going to be a great player for this footy club.
