First and foremost, there is the 29-year-old’s family - wife Amelia and baby daughter Willow. Then comes the pharmacy degree he is completing at Perth’s Curtin University, earning him the nickname ‘Woosh’ among teammates, in reference to West Coast coach and pharmacist John Worsfold.

He finds time to hone his guitar skills with Perth bands and will be releasing a CD around the end of the season, collaborating with local rockers Stellas Kitchen.

And his commitment to the Baha’i faith has seen him become involved in various community projects over the years, including a trip to African country Lesotho to visit a school being built by the Baha’i community to enable free education.

Sitting in the boardroom at Fremantle Oval, dressed casually in thongs, jeans and a black v-neck T-shirt, the question remains, where does football fit in for the 183-game veteran?

“Obviously, football’s a big part of it, and a very significant part of my life, but I’ve always felt it’s important to keep other areas going,” says McPharlin, who is staking a claim for his first All-Australian nomination.

“Football’s a fairly transient career and you’re never sure when it’s going to finish, so to have something to fall back on or even to take your mind off football at times is important.

“It’s always been a pretty strong philosophy I’ve had on life and that is to keep everything balanced and in proportion.”

McPharlin is by no means the only footballer living a dynamic life away from the game but, interestingly, he attributes his longevity as a player to his pursuits off the field.

Recruited by Hawthorn with pick No. 10 in the 1999 draft, McPharlin was soon struck down by osteitis pubis and, with only 12 senior games under his belt, headed home at the end of 2001 to join Fremantle.

There were obvious positives to returning home, having grown up in Attadale in Perth’s inner south, and the idea of playing in front of friends and family excited McPharlin.