THE benefits of moving from cramped Sydney to the open coastal towns of Victoria’s west coast is appealing for Cobden export Gary Rohan.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The pacy forward was traded from the Sydney Swans to Geelong on Wednesday morning with the Swans receiving pick 61 from the Cats, which they used to secure 21-year-old midfielder Ryan Clarke from North Melbourne.
The 27-year-old, who has signed a two-year deal with the Cats, was eager to shift his life away from a football spotlight in a bid to recover his best form.
“When I first got up to Sydney a lot of the people I knew were my teammates and it was pretty much football 24-7,” Rohan said.
“It will be good to get back home and chill with some mates, cousins and family outside of the football club.
“I will go to my wife’s farm and we have a house with a farm back home so it will be good to get out of the town and cities and get that good country air back into us.”
Rohan, who was drafted from the Geelong Falcons with pick 6 in 2009 and played 109 games across nine years for the Swans, has been looking at coastal towns outside Geelong, in Ocean Grove and Torquay, as possible destinations for his young family.
“It’s not in town (Geelong) and it’s out a bit,” the speedster, who grew up supporting the Cats, said.
“Living in Sydney is like everyone is living on top of each other so we felt we need to get out of town and have our own little space. I’m into fishing as well so it will be good to also have that lifestyle away from my footy.”
It will be a refreshing change for Rohan, wife Amie and young daughter Bella, after a tough year on and off the field.
Amie gave birth to twins Bella and Willow. But the latter passed away five hours after birth, with the new parents spending five hours before a terminal disease called anencephaly claimed the newborn.
The Rohans went public with their heartbreaking story on Gary’s Instagram and were overwhelmed with support from AFL fans.
The former Hampden league junior is thrilled to be able to drive to Cobden and watch his home club.
“When I can I’d like to go back as I love getting back to the club,” Rohan said. “It’s where my footy career started and I like to watch the boys play footy and the girls in their netball.
“A lot of my mates are still playing at Cobden and I’m excited to see the whole side. I haven’t been able to play there since I left and I can’t wait to watch them again.”
Rohan said for the first time in a few seasons he wouldn’t be recovering form surgery and would be at full health to complete a full pre-season with his new club. He said he had ambitions to play finals football again.
Have you signed up to The Standard's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in the south-west.