By Kim Densham reporting for AFANA in Melbourne
A: AFL Footy is obviously very much your life, but what do you enjoy doing outside of footy?
SMN: Well, I have my girlfriend here, as any man will know that’s another full time job! But I try doing a little bit of everything, including enjoying my alone time - R and R - watching TV or reading and playing golf. Right now my whole mindset is to eat, sleep, dream and train, enjoy the Collingwood boys, my friends and my girlfriend's company, nothing too much but feeling blessed to be in Australia, playing a cool sport.
A: What’s your favorite music?
SMN: My girlfriend likes country music, I have never much liked country music but now I am starting to be okay with it. With my upbringing in the basketball world, I love hip hop and Rhythm 'n' Blues. I also love Jack Johnson type music, guitar and for the most part everything but Heavy Metal, which is not my thing.
A: A question for the Collingwood faithful, do you have a tattoo yet?
SMN: No I don’t have one and I don’t plan to get one. If I did, my mum would probably scrape it off my skin, it’s not for me. I don’t have anything against having tattoos. I am just a clean cut kid really and unless somebody died and I needed one, then I would probably put one over my heart in a cursive wave, but I highly doubt it. The story goes that when you win a Grand Final, whatever your age, whether you are in the AFL or VFL, you get a tattoo of the year with the team’s logo on it. Initially I was a little taken aback and thought it strange and different at the time. I’m like, can I just get the Premiership ring and some pictures? Even if we won the Premiership and I were the star and kicked the winning goal, I don’t think I would ever put a tattoo on me. That’s for other people to enjoy. It’s not my style. I want be who I am!
A: What do you do to get into the game day mindset?
SMN: It’s funny, my whole life I have had a certain quirkiness about me. In high school before any competition, whether it be football, basketball or track and field, I would eat a Subway sandwich and have a nap. In college it became chicken parmesan, take a nap, then game time. Same thing when I was in Germany. Here it’s different because most of my games are around midday or two in the afternoon so there is no need for a nap! I wake up around 9:30am, have my normal breakfast (which always consists of something light like orange juice), a banana and yogurt. Then I go downstairs to the gymnasium in my apartment and work out on the bike, or do some laps in the pool. Increase my range of movement, depending on how tight I am, then head upstairs, shower, maybe have half a protein bar. I am not really a big eater, mostly because there is so much running in a game, much more than in basketball, around 15 kilometers [Ed. note: about 9 miles]. In NFL and track you can afford to eat more because you are not having to run as much. After my shower I relax for 20 minutes or so, head out the door and get to the ground two hours before the game. I chill out, do my meetings, then put on my music – pure hip hop, to get me hyped up and then I do my ball work with one of the ball boys. He gets me ready every game, and then "it’s showtime". It’s a completely different mentality to the other sports I have played. There is so much running it changes your mental approach towards the game. In basketball or football, you have to get pumped up because it’s so explosive but there is also a lot of down time. In Aussie Rules during a game, you are constantly running, for as much as a quarter or half marathon. There are explosive moments as well, when you have to sprint 100 meters, or jump as high as you can or tackle somebody. It is a constant test, and an incredible sport, it really is.
A: Is there anything that you want to say to the folks back home?
SMN: Oh yeah! I appreciate the love and support and everyone should know that I am doing this to prove that American athletes can achieve the highest level in Australian rules and be accepted as one of their own. I am working and training as hard as I can and hope to eventually dominate and make a career out of it. Through it all I want to just enjoy the time I have and when my career ends, whether that is next year or in five years, I sincerely want to promote the game in the States in whatever way that might be. I don’t even know if there is a role out there but I think that the sky’s the limit. I hope that the AFL jumps on the US bandwagon and entertains Americans with this really great sport.
AFANA would like to thank Shae very much for the time he gave to complete this interview. We look forward to following Shae's career and reporting on his achievements.
Article last changed on Tuesday, August 23, 2011 - 9:25 PM EDT
