Aliir Aliir Q&A: Port Adelaide defender opens up about footy, family and being a role model

Aliir Aliir is again a key factor in Port Adelaide’s flag pursuit. In a lengthy Q&A, the Power star talks all things footy, family and being a role model.

Aliir Aliir celebrates with Power fans. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Aliir Aliir is in his third season at Port Adelaide and is again a vital cog in the Power’s premiership pursuit.

As the club returned to training ahead of its bye this week, the key defender had a long chat with Matt Turner about everything from the Power’s impressive form, being a dad, his rottweiler, coach Ken Hinkley, basketball and his South Sudanese heritage.

Matt Turner: I heard you went to see family in Perth during your bye round break and it was the first time your son, Mayom, had been. How was it?

Aliir Aliir: It was great. I hadn’t been back since Australia Day and it was great for Mum to see the little one. Kids grow so fast. It was great to switch off from footy and have family time, see nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters. I was able to pass the baby onto them and have some nap time here and there.

MT: Was that the first time Mayom had been on a plane?

AA: He’s actually a seasoned veteran – his first flight was when he was six-and-a-half weeks to the Gold Coast. This time he was a bit unsettled on the way back.

Aliir Aliir with his son, Mayom. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

MT: How’s he going in general?

AA: He’s 10 months old next week, he’s a big boy and he’s close to walking now so you’ve got to keep an eye on him because as soon as you put him down he’s quick to crawl. If you put him down here, he’ll grab the bench and try to stand up by himself. As we got back from Perth, he’s kind of found his voice. He’s sitting in the car, singing and talking to himself.

MT: How is the sleeping going?

AA: It’s not too bad. Shout out to my partner, Sabina, she does the work the nights before training and before a game, but I try to chip in other nights. The first month and a bit was the toughest – it was a shock to both of us, particularly not having family over here. But we’ve got a routine now, which is going pretty well.

MT: What’s the best thing about being a dad?

AA: He’s changed my perspective on life. It’s the best feeling. He’s the reason why I do what I do, why I wake up to come to training. Everyone has moments and bad days where you don’t want to go to work or do anything, but I’m essentially doing everything for him. I thought I had a good perspective on life, coming from where I’ve come from and the people I was doing it for, but he jumps that list. You come home and whether you have a sh*t game or not, he’s smiling. You’ll be tired or have a two-hour sleep, go to training, come back and everything’s sort of forgotten. When you find out you’re having a kid, you don’t know what to expect. I’ve got nieces and nephews – there’s probably seven of them – so I thought I knew what I was in for until you have your own. My Mum didn’t tell me how to raise him. She was like ‘that’s your child, I’m here to help but you have to do it your own way … do whatever you and your partner think is right’.

MT: How many dads are there in the Power squad?

AA: Five: myself, Sam (Powell-Pepper), TJ (captain Tom Jonas), Jez (Jeremy Finlayson) and Junior (Rioli). And Quinton (Narkle) is about to be a father.

Aliir Aliir with fellow dads Sam Powell-Pepper and Junior Rioli. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

MT: Mayom is your middle name and it is also the name of your father, who died in a car accident in Kenya when you were seven. How special is it that your dad’s name lives on not only through you but your boy?

AA: It’s extremely special. Staring at him, you’re almost looking at your father in a way. My mum was very proud. When she found out I was going to name him Mayom, she was in tears.

MT: You’ve got another young boy in your household. How’s your 17-month-old rottweiler, Rico going?

AA: He didn’t come to Perth, but he’s going all right. Sam and (his partner) Brya looked after him for a couple of days and (ex-Port teammate) Marty Frederick looks after him every now and then. He gets along very well with Mayom because they’ve essentially grown up together – I got him about a month before Mayom was born. Now Mayom’s about to walk, he’s always pulling Rico’s ear, grabbing his tail.

MT: Just onto some footy questions. What’s been the biggest difference this year compared to last? You’re 12-2 right now, which is two more wins than you had in the whole of 2022.

AA: It’s hard to pinpoint. Our pressure has been a key factor of why we’re winning. After the Crows game (a loss in round 3), we had our meeting and our pressure was well off. Everyone’s now got pressure front of mind and it’s been through the roof.

MT: Looking back, do you think there was any lingering effect from the 2021 preliminary final thrashing at the start of last year, when you began 0-5?

AA: I don’t think so. Once the season finishes, you look at ways to improve your game plan. I wouldn’t think anything was lingering because we had a great pre-season.

MT: What’s it like not having Jonas with you down back these past few weeks?

AA: He’s a great captain, our leader. He knew he wasn’t playing at the level he needed to and he’s now gone in the SANFL and had three great games. But the (AFL) team has played well so he’s got to wait for his opportunity to come in.

Aliir Aliir celebrates with Power fans. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images

MT: How has his absence changed things for you?

AA: Not having him there has allowed guys like myself, Dan Houston and Trent McKenzie to step up into that leadership role. We have three 21-year-olds down there (Miles Bergman, Dylan Williams, the injured Lachie Jones) so we’re trying to keep them calm and focused because there’s moments in games where the opposition might get on a run, so you have to stay in the moment and trust the process. But I’ve always been vocal out on the field. If I see something, I’m going to say it.

MT: Do you feel like your form is getting close to your 2021 All-Australian level?

AA: I have been building. There was probably a patch from rounds 6 to 8 where I dropped off a little bit, but I think I’ve picked it up. There’s a lot of games to go and I feel like my best is yet to come. The coaches and players think so too.

MT: What makes you think the club might be able to go a couple of steps further this season compared to 2020-21 when it reached consecutive preliminary finals? You were in great positions those seasons and fell short when it counted.

AA: We’re not really thinking too far ahead. We’ve obviously won 11 (in a row) and the noise is on that … but we know what the process was to get us where we are. There’s pressure and players knowing their role – someone like Quinton Narkle coming in (and kicking two goals against Geelong). I don’t think anybody’s trying to be special or kick three goals and have 40 touches – maybe Buttsy (Zak Butters) haha. Everyone just knows their role.

MT: What was it like as an ex-Swan watching Sydney last year go on a great run to the grand final?

AA: It was a weird one because I’ve obviously still got some good mates there, but that was the team that didn’t really want me so it’s sort of half and half. The way they were able to play their back half of the year with their younger players was good to watch. Obviously when you leave a club you wish them all the best and there’s a handful of guys you’re still very close with and watch from afar.

Aliir Aliir, alongside Luke Parker, while at the Swans. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images

MT: Which Sydney players are you closest with?

AA: I lived with Tom Papley. Harry Cunningham, Jake Lloyd, Callum Mills, just to name a few. Even big Bud (Lance Franklin). I still message him every now and then and he sends a few memes here and there.

MT: How would you describe your relationship with your coach, Ken Hinkley?

AA: Ever since I’ve been here he’s been great, sort of like that father figure. He just wants you to play your best footy within the team structure and gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and play. He’s been really good for my career. I owe a lot to him.

MT: Lots of players call him a father figure. Why is that?

AA: We’re in a win-loss industry but he’s beyond that, he knows you’re a person first, an athlete second. He’s always checking in on how your family’s going and with me having a young family, always asking how Sabina’s doing, how Mayom’s doing. If you have a bad game, he’s not coming to cook you. That’s why a lot of players are really comfortable with him because it’s not just a player-coach relationship.

MT: I assume then that you want him here beyond this year?

AA: Of course. It’s none of our say in terms of the contract situation but the players love playing for him – and you can see it. Having him on the bench has been good for the younger players too.

MT: His celebrations down on the bench feel like they’re getting bigger with each close win.

AA: He hasn’t been pulled up on it in a meeting yet. Hopefully someone’s doing a bit of editing and brings it up in one of the reviews.

Aliir Aliir (right) as a budding junior footballer ahead of the Australian under-16 championships.

MT: You’re a proud Dinka man, born in a Kenyan refugee camp and of South Sudanese heritage. You were last back in Africa in 2016 at your brother’s wedding. Any plans to go back?

AA: I want to. My uncles keep calling – we speak regularly – and ask when we’re going to bring Mayom over. It’s hard with the footy season and Covid happened. There’s been a lot going on, but 2016 is a long time ago. I love travelling, I love learning about other cultures but I haven’t been able to go back to my own. I don’t want to forget it and I want my son to be able to know my native tongue. When I’m home, I’m speaking to him in Dinka. He might not be able to understand it and if he picks it up, he picks it up, but it’s a little thing I’m doing.

MT: As your position in the league has grown, so has your standing as a role model. How does it sit with you?

AA: I’m embracing it a little bit more. I’m feeling comfortable being it. It took a while because I never saw myself as a role model. I just thought I was drafted, was playing football and that was it, but there’s so many kids I can influence being an athlete and AFL player. Covid affected a few things, but I want to be able to do what (ex-Richmond star) Bachar Houli was doing, having my own (multicultural) academy through the AFL, so I can help the community, guide them and give them a pathway while I’m playing footy. Growing up, I didn’t have a clear pathway and that’s what most kids struggle with so if I could have something like that, particularly in SA, where there’s a large African and multicultural community, it’d be a good opportunity to tap in and do something with the club and AFL.

MT: Do you get a lot of multicultural kids you don’t know reaching out to you on social media?

AA: Yeah. You get kids messaging on Facebook saying ‘I’ve always loved you and I’m playing football because of you’. It puts a smile on your face and they’re little things that keep you going. One of my biggest things is gratitude, I just love it. I’ve always been grateful of what I’ve got and appreciated what I have.

MT: Where does that come from?

AA: My family. My Dad, my Mum, my brothers and I’ve been able to learn off them. You can’t worry about what other people have, it’s all about you. If someone’s eating at a fancy restaurant and you’re having Macca’s, that’s still good because you’re eating. The word gratitude just makes you want to do more. You wake up and I’m grateful to be awake, have a bad day and grab a coffee and you’re grateful for the coffee. It’s a mental thing – I can’t be sooking, I’ve got a life and purpose, and should be grateful for what I have because other people are struggling and don’t get the opportunities I have.

MT: Is coming from a refugee camp a big reason behind that outlook?

AA: 100 per cent. I always say to myself ‘I’m not supposed to be here. I’m not supposed to be here in Adelaide, playing football and doing all the things I do’. That’s why I don’t take it for granted. I love the word gratitude and I’ll pass it on (to Mayom).

Port Adelaide’s Aliir Aliir with son, Mayom. Picture: Port Adelaide Football Club (Instagram)

MT: There’s yet to be an African-born player win an AFL premiership. Can you become the first one at Port?

AA: You play sport to win the ultimate. I missed out on playing in a grand final in 2016 (with Sydney). That’s why you work hard, train, do pre-seasons – the goal would be worth it and that’s what we’re striving for. There’s always a bad light on our community, on our youngsters who are doing bad, even though it might be a small percentage. There’s a lot of us who are doing good and if I could do something like that, it’s going to help change the perception of Africans.

MT: Your brother, Akech, is trialling with the Adelaide 36ers. What chance is he of getting a spot in their NBL development squad?

AA: I hope he gets it because he’s got some talent and he’s still young (22). He’s a big boy too, way past me (in height). He was playing in Canberra’s state league and was going to move to Melbourne but then this opportunity came. It’d be great for our family if he can make it – they’d be over the moon. Having him in Adelaide would make it easier for me because I don’t really have family here. It’s his dream to play in the NBA and this is a step towards that.

MT: What type of player is he?

AA: He’s a power forward and has got a little bit of passing in him. He’s got the traditional, old-school post-up, spin move, can hit a three. He doesn’t have crazy hops (jumping) but can dunk. But when I was younger, I was a lot better than him – he probably won’t admit it if you were to interview him. I wasn’t too bad back in my day.

MT: What happened to your hoops career?

AA: I missed out on the 2012 (AFL draft), then I went to Perth and had the chance to play basketball or continue playing Aussie rules. I thought I’ll give footy a go and if I don’t make it, I’m going to go to America to play basketball but I got drafted by the Swans (in 2013). I used to play with Sunday (36ers player Sunday Dech) in Perth. I was more of a high flyer, could step back, shoot threes. I still love it. I’ve always got a basketball in my car and if there’s a court I’ll just go shoot. It helps me clear my mind.

MT: Do you follow the NBA?

AA: I watch it. When (Phoenix superstar) Kevin Durant was at OKC (Oklahoma City), I used to try to play like him and was lucky enough to meet him in 2017 on a trip organised by the AFL Players’ Association and watch LeBron (James) play. It was crazy. You can understand why when kids come up to you and their heart’s pounding and they’re staring at you – that was me when I met him.

Originally published as Aliir Aliir Q&A: Port Adelaide defender opens up about footy, family and being a role model