A couple weeks ago, Howie sat down with the up-and-coming young Carlton gun, Hudson O'Keeffe, to give us a bit of an insight into the life of a professional athlete. Huddo was picked up by the Blues as a rookie in early 2023 and is looking to have a big 2024 season, as a unique ruck with impressive athleticism. Read on for a peak behind the curtain of the life of a professional AFL footballer.
Thanks for joining me Huddo. My first question for you: how did our paths first cross?
I met Will [Howie] when I first moved over from Perth at the start of 2014. We met at Hartwell Primary School and played basketball together at the Hawthorn Titans. We became close friends during our time at Hartwell and continued our friendship through the years of playing basketball together and after finishing playing basketball together.
What was it like stepping onto the field for the first time in your early footy career? Do you recall the excitement, nerves, or maybe a standout moment from those early games?
My earliest memories of playing footy was playing with my mates back in Perth at my first junior club: the Rostrata Rhinos. I remember the excitement of being able to go out on a Friday night under the lights and play with and against my mates in what they called the super 8’s, which was the under 8 age group.
What role do you typically play on the field? How do you approach your position, and what skills do you consider essential for excelling in that role?
I’m a ruckman who can also play as a tall marking forward. The main attributes/skills that I find have put me in good stead for my role are aggression, running patterns, good craft and clean hands.
Obviously clubs want to build up a ruckmen's size. How important is physical development for young players, especially in roles like a ruck? What kind of dietary and training programs are typically recommended for young aspiring athletes?
I’ve found that physical development for a ruck is very important. There were a few older experienced rucks that I faced in the VFL this year that were able to push me around a bit. I’ve spent this off-season eating heaps of good food (a lot of chicken and rice,) and have been doing gym work 4 times a week in order to put on some size. I feel that physical development for young players is very important, but also it can't be rushed as it can result in injury.
What was your childhood footy like? Were there specific players or role models who inspired or influenced your style of play?
I was a mad Hawks supporter growing up and used to love watching Sam Mitchell play. I’m pretty sure there’s a photo somewhere of me behind the fence at a Hawks game staring at Sam Mitchell standing at the interchange bench. I wouldn’t say there were necessarily too many players that I modelled my game off of growing up but in the later part of my junior career, I enjoyed watching ruck duels between the likes of Max Gawn, Brodie Grundy and Nic Natanui.
From combines to interviews, how did you navigate the anticipation and uncertainty leading up to being selected?
The draft process is a pretty tough one as I’m sure all draftees would agree, having some interesting and quirky questions asked in the interviews with clubs and the nerves of performing well at the combine. I was fortunate that I knew my combine results were only going to boost my draft stock so I didn’t have too many nerves heading into it. However, draft night was a long night filled with nerves that unfortunately didn’t go my way.
Take me through the journey from those early days on the field to the pivotal moment of being drafted. What were the significant milestones or experiences that shaped your career?
I had a pretty unorthodox pathway to being drafted, as a junior I wasn’t a fantastic player as I was just this sort of lanky uncoordinated tall kid. It wasn’t until I was around 16 years old that I really started to find some good form playing at the Oakleigh Chargers and was fortunate enough to make the u17s Vic Metro squad. I then played at Oakleigh and Vic Metro as well in my u18 year before I went undrafted. I was then offered a train-on spot at Essendon during the preseason heading into the 2023 season before finding myself back at Oakleigh Chargers preseason training and then at the Carlton Football Club.
I got onto the Carlton list through the preseason supplement period, which is where clubs can bring players to train on and then sign them if they want to. I knew there was some interest from Carlton pre-draft but unfortunately, they didn’t have any list spots at the time. When a couple of injuries occurred during February, they called me up to come and train on and then signed me a few days later.
Obviously COVID had a major impact in 2021 and 2022. How did the pandemic impact your draft year and the overall landscape of footy?
The COVID-19 pandemic made for a tough couple of years for everyone in the footy community as there was no footy being played across Melbourne. However, I found it as a good way to get ahead of others through weights training and my running program. I would definitely say that this helped significantly with me getting drafted as I really started to play some good consistent footy as a result of training during the COVID years.
Everyone on the outside hears of the challenges and difficulty of the AFL pre-season, but rarely any of us get to experience it. What does the preseason training regimen entail? How rigorous is it, and what are the primary focuses during this period?
AFL preseasons are very tough with sessions usually being 3 times and week and consisting of about 10-12 km of work with some sessions being bigger. They are long and tough days but set you up well for the season coming. The primary focus in this period changes for each player whether it's to get better at running, get stronger, or just general skills work.
Going to the Blues, there's a bunch of stars that share the same list as you. What's it like sharing a change room with huge and established stars of the competition, like Paddy Cripps and Charlie Curnow? What's the atmosphere like in the locker room?
The atmosphere in the changerooms is always fun. Guys love to crack jokes and play games in there like handball and cricket. There are always deep conversations going on as well, which I found great as a first-year player getting advice from older players who have experienced similar situations before.
The vibes are great. I feel like we’ve got a very strong list and a confidence that we can play some good and competitive footy in the coming years.
Walk me through a typical game day routine for you as a professional athlete. What rituals or preparations do you have from waking up to stepping onto the field?
I have different game day routines depending on what time the game is, but usually, it consists of waking up around 8am and trying to relax to hopefully keep my mind off of the game (whilst also sticking to my pregame eating routine.) I then head off to the game and aim to be there 2-2.5 hours before the game starts and usually listen to my “Dave or Drake” playlist on the way there. I then get my ankles taped, go out on the ground, roll out on the foam roller, we have the team meeting, warm up and then I’m good to go.
What does an average AFL week look like? Training, recovery, personal time—what does a typical schedule look like?
An average AFL week during the season is 5 days at the club and 2 days off with one of those days being the day post-game. We usually have 2 main training sessions and then a captain's run the day before the game that week. I use the off day during the week to catch up on university work or catch up with my mates.
I play a fair bit of PlayStation when I’m away from the club as a bit of personal downtime as well as catching up with mates and playing a bit of golf.
What's the plan for the next 2-3 years? What are your goals and aspirations for the near future in your footy career? Any specific milestones or achievements you're aiming for?
My main goal over the next couple of years is to play some AFL games along with becoming a good VFL ruckman. I’d also like to put on a bit more size in the gym and work more on my forward craft.
Find Huddo here: Instagram
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