A strong leading forward who presents well, has good hands overhead and accuracy in front of goal, Chris also has the ability to move into the midfield or wing as he did through his progression from colts to senior level in 2007.
Chris made his first appearance for the club in it’s 14 point Exhibition Match win over Carlton in Pretoria, South Africa and kicked two goals.
DOB: 2 November 1988 Height: 188cm
Weight: 80kg
Drafted: Perth, 2007 NAB AFL Draft
You have a pretty successful history as a junior WACA Grade cricketer. What type of player were you?
I was an all rounder. I bowled first change or got given the new ball and batted around number five or six. I was given the ball later in the innings when the game needed to be slowed down and I didn’t mind having a swing late in an innings when we needed runs quickly.
You also represented WA in some age championships. What was that like?
Going on tour with the WA Schoolboy sides has given me some of the best experiences I have had in sport. I went on tour with the 15s Schoolboys, two 17s Schoolboy tours and I was in the 18s as well. All the guys I played with have gone on to play A Grade cricket so we have always had a successful side. You develop such a bond on these tours and all the boys still keep in touch and catch up regularly.
Who has been your biggest scalp on the cricket field?
I managed to get Michael Hussey out in a practice match when the State 17s played Wanneroo. It was only a scratch match and part of a training session but I’ll claim it because he is just such a champion. When I was younger I got to bowl to the Australian team in the nets when they came across for a Test at the WACA and I managed to send down a few deliveries that Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting edged behind as well.
Was it a tough decision to give cricket up to concentrate on football?
At one stage when I was growing up cricket was my life, so was football, but some part of me tended to get bored with cricket, particularly when I was injured. When I couldn’t bowl because I was injured and then had to stand in the field for 92 overs it was really hard for me to stay interested because I missed being involved from a bowling point of view. I love cricket but I love football more because it excites me more.
Your hair has become one of your most recognisable assets.
When I was younger I used to shave my head. I realised my hair was something worth hanging onto was when the girls from school used to give me head massages on the bus home from school. People have told me that if I didn’t have it I wouldn’t have got any votes from the umpires in junior footy because it makes me stand out on the field. The boys at the club have been threatening to shave it lately.
How did you earn the nickname ‘Chopper’?
Before I was born my parents were told to expect a girl. They didn’t have any boys names ready so Dad just pulled ‘Cheeky Chopper’ out of the blue. Unfortunately I lived up to the name when I was younger by being a bit of a nuisance but over time ‘Cheeky’ got dropped off so it simply became ‘Chopper.’
What are you looking forward to in 2008?
I haven’t necessarily set myself too many goals as far as playing senior footy goes. I really want to get my body right, learn more about my body and make sure I am always fit enough to train and play and hopefully the opportunities will come from there. I’m not looking at playing heaps of games for Fremantle or anything like that this year. I really want to succeed at WAFL level and hopefully that will be good enough to see my name go in the hat each week for selection for Fremantle.
What have you found to be the best part of being an AFL footballer?
The best thing is that you get to live your dream and play along side guys that you have idolised since you were a kid, like Peter Bell. Meeting all the people at the club has been really good too because everyone is great and really genuine. The whole idea of having football as a full time job is pretty amazing too. It’s still so surreal being here.
What was the Draft like for you?
As I went to Draft Camp there were a few clubs that said they were interested in recruiting me and they said they were looking at drafting me around the early 30s in the National Draft. Those picks came and went and I thought, “What’s going to happen now? Oh no where am I going?” But once it came up on the computer screen that I was going to Fremantle I ran around the house celebrating, Mum and Grandma had tears in their eyes and Dad was devastated because I wasn’t going to be moving out of the house! I was very excited to get picked up by Fremantle because I always wanted to come here.
What do you rate as your best football attributes?
My marking and work rate are probably two of my biggest strengths that I really pride myself on and work hard on. My goal kicking lately has really improved thanks to our Skills Coach Michael Prior.
What was the welcome like for you at the club?
Terrific. There are so many good blokes here and all the staff are fantastic. Ryan Murphy has been sensational and has looked after me since I got here.
