By Felicity George (St Kilda Football Club) - Thu 03 June, 2010
After suffering a serious hip injury and broken leg in his first year at
St Kilda, 19 year old Paul Cahill is focused on the present and most
importantly developing his game as a second year player with the Saints
VFL affiliate, Sandringham Zebras.
“My pre-season this year was interrupted at the start, as I broke my leg
towards the end of last year, but after Christmas I was able to get out
running again.”
“The training I was able to do put me in good stead for the start of the
season, which gave me a lot more confidence with my running capacity.
It has also allowed me to play a few different positions which I haven’t
done in the past.”
Coming to the Saints as part of the 2008 NAB AFL Draft from South
Australia, Paul admits it was hard adjusting from high school to the
disciplines of AFL, but was relieved to have fellow South Australian,
Rhys Stanley, make the journey east with him.
“Because I came straight out of high school the hardest thing for me was
getting into a daily 9am to 5pm routine.”
“When I heard that Rhys got picked up it was a relief as I knew I would
have someone else to go through it with and that we could stick
together. We played against each other for a few years in the SANFL and
also played together for the State Championships.”
Despite kicking six goals in four matches for the Sandringham senior
side, Cahill has played a couple of games in the reserves, where he
kicked three in Round 7 last weekend.
“It’s been tough to keep my place in the seniors, especially because we
have a number of good forwards in the team. Players are getting picked
on their form each week so I need to make sure I’m playing good footy to
be selected.”
“Consistency and effort are vital - I’ve had a few really good games but
a few average ones too. I just need to bridge that gap.”
After winning the first four rounds of the VFL season, Sandringham have
lost their last three games and slipped to seventh on the ladder. But
Paul believes there is some good footy on the way for the Zebras.
“We’re not far off playing some really good footy, it’s just about
working through our structures and playing together as a team.”
Getting the right match preparation is important for Cahill, who started
a Commerce degree earlier this year.
“I was always going to go to university, but now football has come along
its great to get the chance to do both.”
“I’m really superstitious about my sleep. I like to get a lot of sleep
before a game, so two or three days leading up to the game I make sure I
am in bed early. I also know that by hydrating properly and eating the
right food this gives me the best chance to perform well.”
As a forward in the AFL, there’s no-one better to learn from than Saints
Captain, Nick Riewoldt, and working with such experienced players has
been a highlight for Cahill over the last 18 months.
“Nick Riewoldt and Lenny Hayes are great players to learn from. I have
watched Nick closely in the matches he has played to see how goes about
it in the forward line. He has to be one of the best (forwards) going
around, so it is great to have the opportunity to learn from him.”
Admittedly, Paul would love to be related to Australian Soccer Star Tim
Cahill, but even though there is no family connection he is looking
forward to watching the Socceroo’s in South Africa this month.
“Unfortunately I am not related to Tim, I like to joke that we are
cousins. But I will definitely be watching him in the World Cup this
year.”
This article was taken directly from the Saints webiste, For more Saints information, news, interviews and everything else St Kilda visit www.saints.com.au