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\u2018WOULDN\u2019T BE HERE WITHOUT THEM\u2019: SPECIAL TRIO AND AN MCG DREAM<\/p>\n
Ben Waterworth: Adam we\u2019re here overlooking the MCG, you\u2019re hanging out with your fellow draft peers and the draft is just over a month away. Is it starting to kick in that your life is about to change significantly?<\/p>\n
Adam Sweid: Yeah 100 per cent. I think it\u2019s in my head 24\/7, that thought of playing on the MCG and achieving a dream. It\u2019s such a surreal feeling. You watch the Grand Final and see the atmosphere, you see the celebrations, the enjoyment with your brothers and your teammates you\u2019ve worked with to lift a cup \u2013 it\u2019s such a dream. It\u2019d be amazing if I could one day feel what they felt on the \u2018G. I can\u2019t wait. Hopefully I\u2019ll get there.<\/p>\n
BW: So if making the AFL is an all-consuming, \u201c24\/7\u201d thought for you now, how do you find footy-free time?<\/p>\n
AS: You look at it, media is media, we\u2019re all human. We all have a look at how the media looks and how the media shapes up. But 100 per cent, I try to get away from it at times. When the season ended, I couldn\u2019t get away from it because I had the combine to look for and I had to train hard for that. But after the combine, I\u2019d love a week or two break with my mates and family, enjoy my hobbies and just enjoy life. AFL is not life, we\u2019re aware of that. But I think I\u2019ve evened that up pretty nicely. When I\u2019m with my friends, I try not to think about football too much.<\/p>\n
Adam Sweid at the national draft combine.Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BW: What do you like to get up to with your mates?<\/p>\n
AS: I love to be active \u2026 but sometimes I\u2019ll just go over to a mate\u2019s house, watch the footy, play some cards. But we\u2019ll go hunting, go fishing, it could be even soccer \u2013 we\u2019re soccer fanatics, we always hire an indoor court and play soccer or some basketball \u2013 but just depending on my load, I don\u2019t want to overload, so I\u2019ve got to be smart with how I have my spare time. I\u2019m very happy with how my life\u2019s going right now. I\u2019ve got great people around me.<\/p>\n
BW: Amid all the external noise and opinions, which voices do you listen to and value most?<\/p>\n
AS: I\u2019ve got a lot of close people, but there\u2019s only a few people that I genuinely listen to when it comes to the sport. I could list with one hand who I truly go to for advice, which I believe is crucial. I think if you have a big group of big people and you hear different opinions, it\u2019s sometimes not what you want to hear and you sometimes get confused. The Bachar Houli Foundation and their staff is a group I really lean into: Ahmed Saad, Bachar Houli and Ali Fahour. They\u2019re three people, no matter what the situation is, I\u2019ll go to them because they understand me. Bachar has been in my shoes and understands my position, Saady\u2019s been in my shoes and he understands the game so well and he even works in the industry. And Ali Fahour does all the behind-the-scenes work. Don\u2019t get me wrong, I have a lot of close people and close family, but when it comes to asking questions or asking for advice in this industry, they\u2019re the three I turn to.<\/p>\n
\u2018HUSS\u2019 AND THE BOMBERS<\/p>\n
BW: Speaking of the Bachar Houli Foundation, I think that was the first time I saw you play live when you represented them against the Eddie Betts Foundation Grand Final Eve at Punt Road Oval last year. You guys recorded a pretty big win \u2026<\/p>\n
AS: That was maybe three or four games back into my ACL rehab. It was one of my fresh games, but even that day I was overweight. But it was just surreal, you\u2019re with your brothers, you\u2019re playing footy with your brothers \u2013 that\u2019s such an amazing feeling \u2026 The Bachar Houli Foundation, the amount of work they\u2019ve put in to me, like I wouldn\u2019t be here without them.<\/p>\n
BW: Hussien El Achkar had a ripping game that day, too.<\/p>\n
AS: \u2018Hussy\u2019 is a superstar, mate. He\u2019s got so much talent in the world. He works so hard, we work just as hard when we\u2019re together. We\u2019ve done everything together, so just to see his progress, I\u2019m very happy for him \u2026 His goal awareness and smarts around the goal, I don\u2019t think there\u2019s anyone in the draft that can see the goals like he does. He\u2019s just so smart, so special, so clean \u2013 I could list a million things of what he\u2019s good at. Obviously, we all have weaknesses and improvements and areas of growth, but if there was someone I would list, it\u2019d genuinely be a Hussy.<\/p>\n
BW: You and Huss are both tied to the Bombers via their Next Generation Academy. How much influence has the club had on your journey?<\/p>\n
AS: I always ask him questions no matter what. Essendon, they\u2019ve really supported me throughout the year. I\u2019ve learnt my professionalism with just the way they go about their lifestyle, as well as AFL athletes. I went in there once a week with Huss, we did a training plan with them, we\u2019ve done their training load, so we understood how it\u2019s worked. Plus we\u2019ve got a couple of mates like (Isaac) Kako and Jayden (Ngyuen), who were at the Calder Cannons last year, so we\u2019ve seen the way they\u2019ve adapted their lifestyle \u2013 and it\u2019s massive for them. We believe we\u2019ve got an advantage in a way because we\u2019ve seen what they do while others haven\u2019t seen what goes inside AFL clubs. We believe we\u2019re ready.<\/p>\n
Cannons Coach Sam Willatt with Vic Metro players Huss El Achkar, Cooper Duff-Tytler and Adam Sweid.Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
BW: I heard you\u2019ve also got a lot of admiration for Saad El-Hawli?<\/p>\n
AS: I look up to him as if he\u2019s my brother.<\/p>\n
BW: Were you like the rest of the footy world when he just streamed through the middle of Marvel Stadium on debut earlier this year?<\/p>\n
AS: It was surreal. I got goosebumps watching that \u2013 because we know how hard he\u2019s worked. He got on a VFL list when he was 22 or 23 years of age, got cut from lists. People, in a way, told him to stop, but he just kept going and kept pushing. He showed his work ethic and how much he wanted to make it \u2013 and he proved all of them wrong. We\u2019re so proud of him.<\/p>\n
BW: Clearly you\u2019d be happy to play at any club. But does part of you really hope it\u2019s at Essendon?<\/p>\n
AS: \u201cPart of me\u201d wants to be on a list. Their job (AFL clubs) is to do their work and see who they prefer, my job is to play footy and work as hard as possible. And whoever chooses me, that means I know that they believe that I\u2019m the player for their club. I\u2019ll have no regrets on where I\u2019ll land. If a club chooses me, they just helped me achieve my dreams. So why wouldn\u2019t I give them 100 per cent to the club that chose me?<\/p>\n
\u2018PEOPLE ARE GOING TO LOOK TO US\u2019: BEING A ROLE MODEL AND FAMILY LIFE<\/p>\n
BW: And what an opportunity you have as well, I sense, to be not just be an AFL player, but a role model for your community. How much does that drive you?<\/p>\n
AS: That\u2019s the No.1 motivation \u2026 What an amazing feeling. Me and \u2018Hussy\u2019 always discuss it in the car when we\u2019re on the way to training, like people are going to look up to us in a way. Just how we looked up to Bachar, people are going to look up to us, people are going to ask for advice and ask questions. But we believe we\u2019re ready. We\u2019ve worked so hard to get to the position we\u2019re in, like what more can we do? To give back to our community, it\u2019d be so surreal. It doesn\u2019t happen often. You can name, on one hand, which Muslim athletes made AFL. There\u2019s Saad El-Hawli and Adam Saad at the moment, we\u2019d love to be the next two to follow in their journey and be role models.<\/p>\n
BW: Tell me about your family and their influence in your footy and life journey so far?<\/p>\n
AS: My dad is my \u2018why\u2019. He moved over to Australia at the age of 23 \u2013 he was from Lebanon \u2013 to sacrifice, just for his future kids and for my mum as well to have a better life. I\u2019m extremely grateful to have his support, he\u2019s done so much for me. I did my ACL at the age of 16 and he believed in me, no matter what. He took me to my rehab and recoveries. So did my mum. My mum is my \u2018why\u2019 as well. She has five kids and has to work hard every day \u2013 there\u2019s no break being a mum, she has to sacrifice times going out with her mates to look after us. I\u2019m extremely grateful for them.<\/p>\n
Adam Sweid during the Victorian Diversity All-Stars U18 Boys match in 2023. Picture: Josh Chadwick\/AFL Photos\/AFL Photos via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BW: Where do you sit age-wise in the five?<\/p>\n
AS: I\u2019m just above the middle. My older brother is 20 soon, I\u2019m 18, I\u2019ve got my younger sister who\u2019s 13, my other younger sister is nine and my other sister who\u2019s eight. So we\u2019ve got three younger girls, one older brother and there\u2019s me.<\/p>\n
BW: Pretty hectic household then?<\/p>\n
AS: Yeah it can get loud! But my mum deals with it well. There\u2019ll be times where she just cracks it at us because there\u2019s so much of us, but we do our best to make sure it gets easier \u2026 but it\u2019s not easy at all.<\/p>\n
BW: How have your parents described to you what life in Lebanon was like before moving to Australia?<\/p>\n
AS: My dad wasn\u2019t gifted any opportunities. I believe he dropped out at Year 9 to help his father. Obviously they don\u2019t have the privileges like we do, so he couldn\u2019t live the life he wanted. Played soccer, had to stop at 15 to go to the army, went to the army at the age of 18 \u2013 because it was a compulsory act in Lebanon. As Muslims and with my faith, my mum couldn\u2019t really do much \u2026 My mum and dad didn\u2019t have the privileges like we do have now. They knew what they couldn\u2019t have and they\u2019ve just given it to us. I believe my dad was a painter when he was younger and he was at the army and then he met my mum at the age of 21 and came down to Australia \u2013 for our sake. He was doing painting in Australia when he came in, started doing security when he got older \u2013 and he\u2019s still doing security at the moment.<\/p>\n
\u2018I WAS PRETTY CHUBBY\u2019: BLUNT REALITY AFTER BRUTAL SETBACK<\/p>\n
BW: You just mentioned your dad was a big support after you ruptured your ACL when you were 16. How do you reflect on the injury and what did you learn about yourself during the recovery?<\/p>\n
AS: It was an upsetting year last year. It was a 10-month rehab, which was a good turnaround and a pretty successful. Played a couple of games at local (level), but I was pretty chubby, pretty fat. I wasn\u2019t in the shape to play Coates League \u2013 and I knew that, I was aware of that. I gave myself a reality check. As much as I complained that I wasn\u2019t getting selected in the last two games of last year, I knew I wasn\u2019t in shape. But this year \u2026 I\u2019m a very hard worker and I was very disciplined throughout the year. I had a lot of mental challenges throughout the ACL injury seeing some of your great mates like \u2018Duffy\u2019 (Cooper Duff-Tytler), \u2018Hussy\u2019 (Hussien El Achkar), (Tom) McGuane do so well in their bottom-age year. I was feeling left out in a way. But I was pretty motivated. I was determined to get to the level they were at and I\u2019m just so grateful to have been given an opportunity by the Cannons and their staff.<\/p>\n
Adam Sweid at the national draft combine. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BW: Did your self-belief take a hit during your rehab?<\/p>\n
AS: No, I was so confident in my abilities \u2013 and I\u2019m still confident in my abilities. I believe if you\u2019re going to put in the work, you\u2019ve got to know how good you are. I had a great futures year and at the Under 16s carnival, I knew how good I was, so it was just the ACL that set me back. I was always confident in my abilities, I just had to execute it \u2026 When I was in the gym, I knew I had to do extra sets. There\u2019s a difference between overload \u2013 because you never want to overload as you can fatigue your knee, which is something you don\u2019t want to do \u2013 but it\u2019s working hard at the same time. I knew if I had three sets and I felt fine, push it up to four sets. Always put in the work to have a successful rehab. When you\u2019re in an ACL rehab, they say \u2018don\u2019t rush it\u2019. But the only thing on your mind is wanting to play football again. It\u2019s such an emotional time, because only you understand the feeling you\u2019re in and no one understands but you. So it\u2019s just you against yourself. You\u2019ve just got to be strong.<\/p>\n
BW: You said before you were, in your words, \u201cchubby\u201d coming back from your injury. How hard did you work to get back to that shape you wanted to be in?<\/p>\n
AS: It was just hours. I\u2019ve got such a great S and C (strength and conditioning coach) in Michael Chiovitti, who\u2019s got so much experience in the game. He just gave me a running program and he goes \u2018trust the process\u2019. That\u2019s his No.1 line: \u2018Always trust the process and the work you put in is always going to deliver.\u2019 So I did well, I ran my trials. I\u2019ve always naturally had good grit \u2013 like for 2km and 1km trials, as fit as you can be, you\u2019ve got to have grit and work ethic. At the 2km trial at the combine, I had a 6:25, which is a PB. That was just grit, I just worked so hard. So I just trusted the process and trusted the good people around me.<\/p>\n
\u2018CONSISTENCY\u2019: WHITEBOARD QUOTE THAT DROVE RISE<\/p>\n
BW: This year you earned Vic Metro selection after an excellent start to the Coates Talent League season. How important was your strong first few games for the Calder Cannons?<\/p>\n
AS: I\u2019ve got a whiteboard at home and on top of the whiteboard in all caps I had \u2018CONSISTENCY\u2019. Consistency is key to getting drafted and hopefully playing at the highest level. I had a breakout game in Round 1 against Oakleigh, which I was extremely proud of, but it was: \u2018How can I continue that?\u2019 And I believe I did that. It was just continuing with a consistent schedule, a consistent routine, a consistent preparation \u2013 Ahmed Saad taught me all about it. \u2018Consistency\u2019 is the word that built me throughout the whole year. Yes there\u2019s times when it\u2019s not your day, there\u2019s times where you\u2019re having a shocker \u2013 but you can have a moment. So a moment was always going to come, it was just how I executed it.<\/p>\n
Adam Sweid of Vic Metro. Picture: Mark Brake\/AFL Photos\/via Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n
BW: The Metro experience didn\u2019t quite go to plan from a team perspective, but you got some good midfield time.<\/p>\n
AS: \u2018LJ\u2019 (Lauren Morecroft), Sammy Willatt and the staff of Metro put their trust in me to give me some minutes in the midfield and I believe I did well in ways. I showed my traits, I showed my pressure. So I was grateful to get the opportunity. You get some slight comments of \u2018you\u2019re not going to play midfield at the highest level based on your height or your (build)\u2019, so it was just talk I ignored. I believe I am going to play a high-profile forward position in the future, but I can only control what\u2019s happening now and they trusted me to play in the midfield and I was happy to take it.<\/p>\n
BW: So when people say \u2018you can\u2019t be an AFL midfielder\u2019, is there a determination to prove them wrong?<\/p>\n
AS: One hundred per cent. It was in my mind all year. You get \u2018oh you probably won\u2019t last\u2019, but I was playing against the biggest midfielders throughout the whole year \u2013 and I believe I\u2019ve done well. So it\u2019s like: \u2018You could say that, but I\u2019m showing you guys that I can handle big bodies.\u2019 I believe I\u2019m stronger than big bodies at times, I believe I look after myself pretty well in there. But at the same time, I just want to play AFL \u2013 and if that\u2019s changing roles, I\u2019m happy to do it. I just want a club to put their faith in me and I\u2019ll give them 100 per cent effort, wherever and whatever position it is.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For top Bombers NGA prospect Adam Sweid, earning a spot on an AFL list would be more than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":233227,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[3484,638,140093,3486,140110,2095,1724,64,63,689,55,639,140102,3423,120796,3526,140098,140108,3416,119647,3434,127778,140091,66706,140105,140100,659,140104,2105,140101,140094,140096,55319,140089,140095,140092,140109,140103,140097,15674,93798,15700,2041,2067,677,3232,700,99681,140088,140106,140099,85,140090,140087,140107,2614,12000,21380],"class_list":["post-233226","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-afl","tag-adam-sweid","tag-afl","tag-ahmed-saad","tag-albert-perez","tag-amazing-feeling","tag-america","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-football-league","tag-australianfootballleague","tag-bachar-houli-foundation","tag-ben-waterworth","tag-breakout-game","tag-calder-cannons","tag-cannons-coach-sam","tag-close-people","tag-coates-talent-league","tag-conditioning-coach","tag-cooper-duff-tytler","tag-draft-mail","tag-drove-rise","tag-family-life","tag-fellow-draft-peers","tag-football-dream","tag-footy-world","tag-footy-free-time","tag-getty-images-inc","tag-goal-awareness","tag-hectic-household","tag-highest-level","tag-lebanon","tag-life-journey","tag-mcg-dream","tag-media-looks","tag-media-shapes","tag-metro-inc","tag-metro-players","tag-midfield-time","tag-national-draft-combine","tag-next-generation-academy","tag-north-america","tag-northern-america","tag-oceania","tag-reality-check","tag-role-model","tag-role-models","tag-sammy-willatt","tag-soccer-fanatics","tag-special-trio","tag-sports","tag-started-doing-security","tag-surreal-feeling","tag-team-perspective","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-western-asia","tag-work-ethic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233226","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233226"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233226\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/233227"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233226"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233226"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233226"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}