David Trotter

1. David, can you tell us about where you grew up and how football influenced you growing up?

I grew up in Lockhart, a little country town in NSW about 70k's west of Wagga with a population of about 1000 people. I started playing football when I was about 10 in the under 14's at the mighty Lockhart Demons, which most of the boys around town did. Being such a small town, most people came to the footy on a Saturday and it was always a big day, and usually night if the seniors won! Lockhart was a great place to grow up and a great football club to start playing football as a young kid. I love getting back there to watch a game and try to do it as often as I can.

2. How did you found your first year at the club?

I absolutely loved my first year at Norwood. Coming over from Melbourne I didn't really know any of the boys, but it didn't take long at all for me to feel at home at the footy club. It was clear from the start what a great footy club Norwood was and what a great tradition and history it had. The boys are a really tight knit group and it is just a great place to be at.

3. Are you surprised and excited to be in the leadership group in your second year and how are you finding that?

Yeah it was a surprise and something I definitely was not expecting. It is a real privilege to be part of the leadership group amongst such a talented group of players. It has been a great experience in the short time I have been in there and to have a bit of input in the way we go about things is something I am really enjoying. There are some great leaders at our club and that also includes blokes not in the leadership group so I don't think our job will be too hard this year. The boys have all been on the right track over the preseason and hopefully we can turn that into a few wins this year.

4. What are your goals for season 2009?

Individually, to play as close to a full year of footy would be nice to start with and to just contribute to the team winning in whatever way I can. It has been a little while since I have strung a big run of games together so hopefully the body can hold up. From a team point of view, obviously winning the final against Port last year was a real step forward for the club but we are aiming to improve on that this year. Qualifying for the finals is our first goal and hopefully we can do that and then reassess from there. But as everyone always says, we will be following the old cliché of one week at a time. Although there is a real confidence amongst the playing group this year we have to make sure we don't get ahead of ourselves in anyway, which I'm sure we won't. It is a really close competition and we are going to have to be right on our game every week to get the points against whoever we play.

5. How did you end up at the NFC when you were delisted from North Melbourne?

I spoke to Norwood a couple of times while I was still training at North in the preseason in the lead up to the rookie draft. After the rookie draft went by I met with a few clubs in Melbourne, Perth and here in Adelaide. Having met with Norwood a couple of times already, coming to the club and being shown around and meeting a couple of the boys really made it an easy choice. There just seemed to be a great feel around the club and a real determination to get the club back to where it has been in the past and hopefully will be again in the very near future. I knew from very early on that I had made the right decision and I have really loved my time so far at The Redlegs.

6. You are predominantly a midfield in our team, how have you found playing midfield in the SANFL competition versus other competitions in the country?

I think it is widely regarded as the best competition outside the AFL and I would definitely agree with that, from my experiences anyway. The footy is hard and tough but still extremely quick which is what makes it so competitive. I think that is why so many players from all over the country come to the SANFL because they want to play at the highest level they can. I really enjoy playing through the midfield at Norwood because we have some real quality going through there this year and to play alongside those guys is really enjoyable. There is so many good midfielders right throughout the competition so every week is a challenge which is what makes it such a great league to play in.

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