SWITCH THE PLAY
We continue today with Part 2 our interview with Sean Randall

Haze – now where we left it last time Sean I had compared you to Jimmy Bartel. Enough of that. Tell us a little bit about you. Give us a bit of your football background. Where you played as a junior and all that sort of stuff.

Sean – I played a bit of junior footy. Then I played a little bit of school footy but didn’t really play school footy properly till year 10 or year 11. I never really tried out for many teams. Year 10 and 11 I sort of got a bit better

Haze – You played junior footy from under 8,9,10 or did you start late with your juniors.

Sean – Nah I played from under 9 and 10. Didn’t really have much going for me though.

Haze – Hmm. You might have be like my eldest boy when he started playing footy – he loved being in the forward pocket and just dancing on his own.

Sean – Nah – no dancing. But I remember one game when it was pouring rain and I was playing full forward and my teammate was playing forward pocket and we sat down in the goals square and we were being beaten by 120 points. So we’re sitting down in the goal square and having a chat and the runner comes out and drags us —– gives us an all time spray for sitting down.

Haze – As an 8 or 9 year old?

Sean – I think I might’ve been a little older so maybe under 11. We just had no idea what we were doing.

Haze – Now are you studying at the moment, or working. What do you do outside footy?

Sean – I’m studying in Frankston to be a paramedic so working with the ambulance. So I’ve done some placements recently up in Sale. I also work at the house of golf in new DFO. I thought while I’m at uni, I might as well get a job that I enjoy.

Haze – so when do you graduate from uni, how many years is it? What’s the name of the course? Is it a specific paramedic course?

Sean – Bachelor of Paramedicine. I’m really enjoying that. It’s a 3 year course, I’m kinda doing it over 4 years, just to take a bit of the load off. But yeah I still have a year and a bit to go and then I can start looking for a job hopefully.

Haze – Is it the sort of Industry, a paramedic, where the job opportunities are good or is it sort of lots of supply and no demand. How does it work?

Sean – In Victoria there’s a lot of demand of jobs. So I finish my course and its maybe a 12-18 months in Victoria.

Haze – Ok, that’s a while

Sean – But If you’re flexible, if you want to look interstate, if you want to look overseas, there’s job opportunities everywhere. Australia’s got the highest standard of paramedics in the world. So places like the UK that don’t really have a course for the job, they just eat up Australian paramedics. They love them. Yeah so if you want to move overseas and do a bit of travelling, and always good to get some experience, I’m thinking of doing that.

Haze – It’s as bit like most medical careers where you can go overseas and be international. It’s great those sorts of careers, especially in your 20’s.

Tell us a couple of your football memories, any premierships as a junior or under 19’s. How’d you go?

Sean – No premierships

Haze – AFL, Geelong, you would have a few good football memories there?

Sean – Geelong gives me my good football finals memories. Geelong premierships are obviously great memories. In terms of my footy I went to one grand final in under 17’s. I was playing in the seconds because I did my knee, earlier in that year.

Haze – Like a proper ACL knee?

Sean – So it took a little less time to heal. So I got back to finals. We got to the grand final we they were playing Highett or someone like that and they brought back a heap of rep players.

Haze – That’s a bit annoying.

Sean – That’s the only grand final I’ve played in.

Haze – Have you been to any of the Geelong AFL Grand Finals? You would have been a baby in those early ones. So what were you born, 2000 or 99, what were you?

Sean – I was 98.

Haze – I guess you would been like 10 when they had their little run.

Sean – Yeah I do remember it. 2007 I reckon was a bit early for me. I remember watching it, but a bit early really to celebrate it. 2011 was a good one, beating the pies.

Haze – Thanks for that. You know what’s funny about that game is that I was there it was closer than everyone thinks. At ΒΎ time there was only 8 or 10 points difference. Oh well.

If you could play another sport mate what would it be? What else did you play when you were a kid that you loved? Probably golf by the sounds of it.

Sean – Yeah could be a golfer, wouldn’t say that dreams realistic. I would also love to be a basketballer.

Haze – It’s a good game isn’t it.

Sean – It’s so big now, so worldwide and the social media whole aspect of it. So its very relevant, I think I’d like to be a basketballer, lots of money involved as well.

Haze – Yeah look I played basketball in my juniors. I loved footy a little bit more. It’s such a great game though basketball. I’ll have to make sure I have a 1 on 1 with you at some stage this year when my knee’s better. I’ll teach you a lesson and give you a bit of trash talk while I’m at it as well.

Haze – I have been to America and watched a few NBA games.

Sean – I went to San Fran to watch the Warriors, that was unreal. Yeah NBA is a great sport, yeah so if I was to pick another sport it would be an NBA player.

Haze – Well you’ll earn a little bit more money playing NBA than VAFA.

Tell us the aspects of football you get the most excited about.

Sean – I like the competitiveness, a quick drive in and just the feeling, just wanting to play. Getting a bit of an adrenaline rush. I think that’s why I play footy. I like the competitiveness and obviously the mateship. It’s not a sport where you go off and practice or play by yourself, the only reason you really play is to be with all the boys and all the mates at the club. So probably that and the competitiveness as well.

Haze – That’s a very good answer Sean. I have this phrase – the thing about football, it lets you experience things in life that you don’t really get to experience in any other forum or anything else you do. And that point about competitiveness and getting the adrenaline rush when you’re driving in your car. It’s the sort of thing you don’t get to encapsulate in any other part of your life. So very good articulate answer mate. Well done.

Sean – Yeah that’s true, there’s not many sports where you can get an adrenaline rush with your best mates. Like people can get it from car racing and what not, but footy is sort of different in that way.

Haze – The pre-game too. It’s always exciting for yourself. I always find it exciting, that period as well.

A couple of little quirky/tricky questions for you.

If a six year old asks you If Santa Claus is real what do you say? I’m trying to test your personality here.

Sean – I would say that he is real.

Haze – You’re on death row, what is your last meal?

Sean – Last meal would probably be pizza or Parma, toss between the 2.

Haze – What’s the best thing you’ve done this summer Sean? You’re gonna have to mention your girlfriend, just be careful.

Sean – Yeah, we’ll avoid that. Probably coming to Sale for work placement. You sort of dread it when you’re going there, bit nervous meeting new people and being in a new town —– but when you leave and get home, you sort of realise that was really good. You get good memories and good fun. So that’s probably the best thing I’ve done this summer, placements and working on the ambulance.

Haze – So you did a short placement up there, for a few weeks?

Sean – Yeah I was up there for 2-3 weeks. Sort of had to fend for myself – no one was cooking for me, random Airbnb’s and hotels. Only getting up there is a bit of a pain. I was working through Christmas; I started on the 19th had a bit of break and then went back on boxing day. VET didn’t finish till the 29th of December. So got back and realised it was actually really good fun.

Haze – It’s good to have experienced that now so you know what you’re going to be getting into. It’s a great experience.

What’s your most used emoji? You young blokes like using emoji’s, what’s your most used one mate.

Sean – I have to take a look on my keyboard, it’s the little man with the cowboy hat.

Haze – What’s that one, that’s a good one

Sean – It’s just a small emoji with a cowboy hat. It’s a bit of a sinister meaning with the boys, whenever you’re doing something naughty, you send an emoji of the man in the cowboy hat

Haze – I’m pretty basic, I’m just a thumbs up because I’m a bit of an old man, but I like that one. I might have a look at that a bit later and see what it looks like.

Final question mate – You looking forward to footy this year? You enjoying it? You like the place since you got here? Give us your view.

Sean – Yeah, I’m really loving it, really looking forward to. Pre season. There’s always a great sort of vibe around the club. The core boys rock up every year and hopefully we can get a further integration with so many new people over the past 12 to 18 months. It’s going to be exciting with the new club rooms, really looking forward to the year. Think it’s going to be a pretty special one.

Haze – Over last year and this year, its like a new fresh coat of paint. You came up from under 19s, and this is no disrespect to other 19 kids that came up with you, but there were only a few ready or almost ready for senior footy. But this year it might be different I think, which is exciting. We also had a lot of guys who came in last year who were first years guys like Nathan Fahey, Membrey boys and a heap like that and a few others who tasted senior footy, who are just going to get better which is great and a couple of new recruits this year. Then you throw in the great core guys across the three senior , the new facility. There’s a fair bit of new stuff happening which I think you always need at a footy club to keep it fresh and new faces.

Sean – I’ll tell you what I’m really looking forward to – Alex Browns new sort of shredded frame in action.

Haze – Did you see his body the other night. It’s extraordinary. I think I even had a dream about him the night after I saw him first time at training. Nothing dodgy or anything.

As you know we picked him in the last game last year. Hopefully that has helped him.

I appreciate you time mate, this is the first Switch the Play. You’re first cab off the rank. Appreciate you sharing a little bit about your background and what not. Its great having you at the place.

Sean – Thank you very much, you’re a good interviewer, made it very easy.

Haze – Huh. Spending time in court teaches you.

Thanks everyone for catching up with Sean Randall and I.
I am sure you will agree he is a great person to have down at the club.
Over the next week or two we will be catching up with someone new, perhaps someone from the coaching staff.