It's a great breeding ground for rugby league players but a lot of them don't get the opportunity to make the step up.
What do you miss about your old hometown?
My old man was a butcher who did a lot of farm killing out west so we'd head out to the cattle stations a fair bit every weekend and go fishing and pigging (pig hunting) and all that recreational stuff you don't get in the city.
Who has had the greatest influence on your career?
My parents - I would never have reached my full potential without the support they have always given me. I remember my old man taking me down to Sydney for a week's trial with Cronulla ... that didn't work out but he never lost faith in me, always pushed for me. I've also had a lot of good coaches - at Brisbane I had Wayne Bennett and at Melbourne Craig Bellamy.
Both of them are big on attitude and discipline ... That's me, I'm not a flashy player, discipline goes a long way.
Childhood hero?
I've got plenty of photos of Alfie Langer ... being of this [shortish] stature I guess ... also Jason Smith [former Kangaroo and Queensland forward] - he was clever with the ball and I liked his character too.
You are known for your stamina and workrate. Is it getting harder to do 80-minute games?
I don't think so. I only played four games last year but the two seasons before that were the best I've ever felt conditioning wise. I guess the older you get, the little bit more wiser you become. Subconsciously your body takes you in the right direction.
Career highlight?
The '06 grand final. That was my fourth year at Melbourne - to have such great mates, to train and play with them and to reach the ultimate - that's what you play footy for. I really remember the start of the game, the anthem, that was the greatest, and looking around the ground and seeing my parents and [wife] Kelly ... it was a big day.
Lowpoint?
None really ... I'm always a glass-half-full man and very positive. I guess I played only about 20 games in the first three years at Melbourne. I was flying up to play with Brisbane Norths every week and it was only in the fourth year that it came right and I played a lot of games in first grade. I did four years in my bricklaying apprenticeship so when I lived in Toowoomba I would travel to Brisbane three or four days a week as well as laying bricks. I'd get up at 5.30, lay bricks and then head to Brizzy at two in the arvo - it was about an hour and a half away. So these days when you come to training and have to do a bit of a hard session or things are getting tough, it doesn't seem so bad when you remember that.
Hobbies?
Golf and I like anything to do with computers ... I like to spend most of the time with the children [3-year-old Axel and 2-year-old Oliver].
How have you settled in to a new city?
It's been fantastic - I can't speak highly enough of the Auckland people and the place as a whole. The kids are settled, which makes mum happy, we've got kindy and swimming and gymnastics and soccer all sorted. If things are a little twisted at home you aren't likely to get the best performance on the paddock so I'm very lucky.
The season prospects?
When I signed, I was sitting back watching the team I was contracted to heading in one direction and this team heading in the other. You never know what's around the corner and we've just got to keep our heads down and concentrate, tweak a few things, and if everyone keeps improving ...
