Irishman Conor Nash talks about his love of Australia, AFL, and Hawthorn

Irishman Conor Nash wants to play AFL football for as long as he can and after getting a taste of senior action last season he is hopeful he can continue his rapid development in 2019.

Hawthorn’s Conor Nash acts as a runner for the Big Rivers Hawks against Darwin Buffaloes in Kimberly, Northern Territory. Picture: Michael Klein

Hawthorn’s athletic Irishman Conor Nash wants to play AFL football for as long as he can, saying he has quickly fallen in love with the game.

Already locked into a contract with the Hawks until the end of the 2020 season, the 197cm forward impressed in his five senior games at the end of last season, including two finals, and is hopeful he can continue that rapid development this year.

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“I am of the mind to stay here as long as I can,” the 20-year-old told the Herald Sun while on the Hawks’ community camp in Katherine, in the Northern Territory.

“I really love the game. It was only when I kind of played first team football late last year that I was standing in the middle of the ‘G thinking ‘how good is this’.

“I like the country; I love the club; and I love the friends that I have made over here.”

Nash ticked off another experience this week in his first visit to the Top End, with his trip to Katherine Gorge on Saturday one of the real highlights.

Having first been contacted by Hawthorn scouts as a 15-year-old, Nash knocked back the offer of a professional contract with Leinster Rugby to move from his native Navan — which is less than 60km from Dublin — to the other side of the world.

Irishman Conor Nash attempts to play the didgeridoo in the middle of Katherine Gorge in the Northern Territory. Picture: Michael Klein

He knew it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and he had the full support of his family — father Tony, mother Bernadette and siblings Edward (17) and Lauren (13) — who happened to be in Australia when he made his debut against Geelong in Round 21 last year.

“We were heading down to the (Peninsula) Hot Springs when Clarko (Alastair Clarkson) rang,” Nash said of the phone call that came before the Cats game.

“I put him on loud speaker and the car erupted when he told me I was going to play my first game.

“It was a baptism of fire, and to win by only 11 points was a great experience. If you were going to have a debut, that was the one you wanted.”

It helped, too, that for a time he was able to live with a host family, the Kings, along with fellow Irishman Conor Glass, and the pair have now moved into a new place.

“It’s definitely helped having Glassy here,” he said.

Clarkson visited Nash and Glass when he was on an overseas study trip last October, an act that both families appreciated from the Hawks coach.

Conor Nash was a hit with six-year-old twins Hope and Faith at Wugulaar School at Beswick in the Northern Territory. Picture: Michael Klein

“He came over to me first of all, and I showed him around my home town Nav(an). We were able to have breakfast (with the family), then we went to my Gaelic club and then to my school where the principal showed him around. It was cool because they had the Hawks jersey up in the school.

“Then he went up to Glassy’s for his 21st (birthday).”

Having endured a serious hamstring injury in his first season (2017), which cost him three months on the sidelines, Nash got to work on learning about the club and the nuances of the game.

He had a good season in the VFL last year, and won his way into the senior side at the business end of the season.

That included a switch from defence to attack, where his size and his athleticism are well suited, and he held onto his position for the last five matches.

“I thought when I had played the last three home and away game that might have been it (for 2018),” he said.

“Jaeger (O’Meara) was coming back for the Richmond game (qualifying final) and I thought I might have been pushed out. But I kept my spot, and to play in those finals before the big crowds was special.

“It all went downhill for us then. We couldn’t get firing in the finals and our game didn’t quick stack up.”

Conor Nash celebrates a Hawthorn win with coach Alastair Clarkson in his first AFL game in Round 21 last year. Picture: Getty Images

But having learnt from the finals experience, Nash is confident the Hawks will be back again in 2019, and he is eager to be a part of it again.

“I am still learning the general flow of the game,” he said.

“Certainly as a forward, you can have all these structures, but it is more based on instinct and you have to learn when it is the right time to lead up and when it isn’t. They are the things we haven’t grown up with.

“I have kind of found out what has worked for me, and it is about using those physical attributes as much as I can. Hopefully, it is going to be a good year ahead.”