ASK Andrew Carter and he’ll tell you he was always going to play at Wodonga.
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Strange, considering he grew up in South Australia.
But after forging friendships with Sam Livingstone and Bulldogs coach Ben Hollands at South Adelaide, Carter was quickly intrigued by what the Border had to offer, and he’s been keen on coming here ever since.
For Carter, it was a matter of when, not if.
“Obviously those boys spoke about Wodonga a bit when they were in South Australia and I really wanted to come over and see what it was like,” Carter, 22, said.
“I was going to come over last year, actually, but a few commitments like uni didn’t allow me to.
“I became quite good mates with Sam when they were over in SA.
“I like trying new things but I was sort of stuck in Adelaide so I’ve had to wait it out.”
From the coastal South Adelaide suburb of Moana, Carter rose through the junior ranks where he quickly caught the eye of SANFL scouts.
After being selected in a development squad, Carter ended up progressing well enough to play 10 senior SANFL games for South Adelaide as a teenager.
But he never went on with it and headed back to home club Old Noarlunga.
Standing at 193 centimetres, Carter has been used here, there and everywhere in his short career, which didn’t change in his first game for the Bulldogs.
“I’m used to playing wherever the team needs me,” he said.
“But I’m happy to do that.
“I sort of went forward and back and a bit in the ruck, too.
“I like to run around.”
While football is the reason he’s here, it’s the little things about Border life Carter is looking forward to most.
“I’ve never seen snow before, so that will be good,” he said.
“I’ve really liked it so far. The footy is good, too.”
How good?
“I can really relate it back to the SANFL reserves,” Carter said.
“I like the standard and there’s obviously a few big names like Brendan Fevola. That’s pretty cool.
“The skills are a lot sharper than where I was last year.”
After a promising showing for three quarters against heavyweight Lavington in round 1, Carter is understandably optimistic about Wodonga’s chances of breaking through for its first win against North Albury at home today.
But he certainly won’t be taking the Hoppers lightly.
“Based on week one, it should be a good contest,” he said.
“I thought it was a good effort by us, considering Lavi is one of the stronger teams.
“Hopefully we get a win on the board.”