There’s much more to South Sudanese players in the AFL than their athleticism, Mac Andrew insists.
When people think of the Gold Coast defender, Andrew knows they reflect first on his strength and agility.
The 20-year-old made headlines when he restricted Carlton spearhead Charlie Curnow to five disposals and two behinds over a half in late May, before taking it to Essendon’s Peter Wright last time out.
Down the east coast on the same day Andrew made light work of Cameron, fellow South Sudanese defender Leek Aleer became an overnight celebrity after he spectacularly jumped over the heads of Geelong's Tyson Stengle and Tom Hawkins to secure a four-point win for Greater Western Sydney.
Fancy footwork, well-crafted kicks and boldness in the air - as shown by Hawthorn’s Mabior Chol and Changkuoth Jiath, Port Adelaide’s Aliir Aliir or the Western Bulldogs’ Buku Khamis - are qualities South Sudanese players are often celebrated for.
But Andrew believes a massive part of their game is being overlooked: their intelligence.
“The commentary around myself when I play is, ‘Oh, Mac is just really athletic’ but I’m more than that,” Andrew told AAP.
“I’m a really smart football player. I can read the game pretty well, I've always been a pretty skilful player.
“Growing up, I wasn't the tallest player, so I went from a range of positions.
"I can play across all three lines and have a really good understanding of where to play and how to play that role.
“Every time I go out there - no matter who the matchup is, no matter what the occasion is - I feel like I can go out there, rise to the occasion and be better than my opponent.”
Born in Egypt to South Sudanese parents before moving to Victoria as a baby, Andrew can’t remember the first time he picked up a Sherrin.
As far as he’s concerned, he’s always had one in his hand.
Although his mother may not have understood the intricacies of Australian rules football - with both parents adamant about a backup plan - Andrew was never shy about his aspirations.
Seeing Majak Daw launch into the air for North Melbourne as a kid made his dream feel more achievable.
“We had Sudanese pioneers coming up when we were growing up, like Majak Daw, and other African players like Joel Wilkinson who was at the Suns and Heritier Lumumba who was at Collingwood,” Andrew said.
“Those guys really paved the way. We have a role now to inspire other kids to pick up the game of football.
“We've done our job (in getting to the AFL) but I’ve got little brothers that I really want to inspire to play football.”
Outside footy, Andrew boasts a healthy shoe collection.
He’s split between the Air Jordan Fragments and the Air Jordan Black Cats as his favourites, although he is keen on snatching up a pair of the Sean Wotherspoon 97s.
“I always take a suitcase back home and I come back with a couple more shoes than I left with,” Andrew said.
“I really like just dressing up and putting myself out there, putting my image out there a little bit."
