BRENT GODDE: You were the biggest fish to land in the Hume league pond this year. What was your motivation to head bush?

ADAM PRIOR: I'm not getting any younger and I have had a few niggling issues and wanted to finish my career playing alongside Trent Logue. I was best man at Trent's wedding and when he decided to head back to Culcairn this season, it was the logical fit.

BG: After winning four Doug Strang medals and now playing at a lower level, it's fair to say most people expect you to crack the 100 goal milestone for the first time. But what are your expectations?

AP: It's fair to say I don't know a heap about the Hume league. But I'm going to be a lot fitter this year, I expect Culcairn to challenge for the flag and I rate our midfield highly. I haven't put a limit on it but it would be nice to get the ton for the first time.

BG: You made your debut for North Albury as a 16-year-old in 2003 and two years later you were on the Swans rookie list. How close do you feel you were to achieving your AFL dream?

AP: It's fair to say it was all a bit of a blur. I thought I was playing good football but it was obviously a hard list to get onto after the Swans won the flag the year before in 2005. I was probably closer when I headed to East Perth in 2010. Guy McKenna's best mate was coaching East Perth and told me to come over to Perth and have a crack at the higher standard of footy and we will have a look at you. It took me a while to adjust but I won the goalkicking for East Perth that year. I nominated for the draft in the hope of getting a spot on the rookie list but was overlooked.

BG: Would you do anything different if you had your time again in Sydney and East Perth?

AP: I was a bit naive back then but I've always been a bloke that loves footy but never liked training. I was never a big fan of doing extra sessions and going outside the box and doing Pilates and yoga and stuff like that. But I realise now that could of been beneficial in trying to get the best out of myself.

BG: You were rookie drafted to Sydney at the same time as former North Albury teammate Sam Rowe. Were you surprised Rowe ended up on Carlton's list and played 99 AFL games with the Blues?

AP: Back then I was surprised because at the Murray Bushrangers he was a pretty raw kid. He was 198cm and raw but the longer he was in the system the more he developed. Being a big lad he took a bit longer to develop but he has done extremely well.

BG: Going to games and watching you play in the O&M you were never far from the action when there was sledging going on and the opposition crowd used to love giving it to you. Is that something you thrived on?

AP: Its never really worried me. Even when I was a young bloke, I always seemed to cop it a bit. But I love it and it's something I really enjoy. I've pulled my head in a bit in regards to giving it back to the crowd but I use it as motivation and it does spur me on a bit.

IN OTHER NEWS: 

BG: With sledging, I suppose if you dish it out you have to be able to take some back. Who do you rate of some of the better sledges in the competition?

AP: I've always found the Yarra blokes to be pretty lippy, especially Drew Barnes. Jack Russell from Wodonga is a bit like a jack russell and you can never shut him up.

BG: I remember when you were at Lavington and were playing North Albury at Bunton Park when Akermanis was coaching from the box that day. You kicked nine and let Aker know all about it. What was your motivation?

AP: It's fair to say Aker and I didn't see eye to eye. When I left North Albury to join Lavington he gobbed off in the paper saying he had gotten rid of all the players that were a bad influence at North Albury. And then he gave me no respect on the day and tried to play a zone defence and never put Dan Leslie or somebody decent on me. We won easily and I kicked nine. I think after I kicked my seventh I stood in front of the North Albury coaching box and held up seven fingers and said to Aker "That's seven, how long until you are going to put someone decent on me?". It's fair to say he hated every second of it.

BG: You obviously played at North Albury, Wodonga Raiders and Lavington. Which do you consider your home club?

AP: My old man played all his footy and North Albury and I played juniors there and have some good memories of my time at Bunton Park. To be honest, if Aker wasn't appointed coach I would probably be still playing at North Albury. I enjoyed my time at Lavington and it worked out well but I would have had no reason to leave North Albury if it wasn't for Aker.

BG: I'm getting the vibe you and Aker don't send each other Christmas cards. What is your major beef with the Brownlow medallist?

AP: I came back from East Perth and got along with the whole playing group really well. Obviously back then the North Albury Sports Club was struggling to stay afloat and it was impacting on the footy club as well. I just found Aker expected players to play for nothing and was just looking after his own interests.

BG: You have played under some talented coaches throughout your career. Who do you rate the highest and I'll hazard a guess that it's not Aker?

AP: No, it's not Aker. Corey Lambert back at the North Albury and Wodonga Raider days was the best for my development. We knew each other well and he just knew how to get the best out of me. He knew I was not big on training and he sort of put things in place where I could still do the work but get away from the club a little bit. 

BG: You're on the lead out of the goal square. Who do you want kicking it to you?

AP: My eyes always used to light up when Matty McDonald had the ball. Brad Horn would always hit you lace out as well.

BG: Who do you rate as the best defender you have played on?

AP: I was only a pup when I played on him but Craig Tafft from Corowa-Rutherglen was the best. He was super quick and I just struggled to kick a goal against him.

BG: You had a good season in 2015 but after that you worked away a lot and found it hard to train. Would it be fair to say you lost a bit of fitness and your form also suffered as a consequence?

AP: Yeah, you are pretty much spot on. I think 2017 I missed most of the year and was missing a week, flying in the next and couldn't get any consistency. No matter how good you are, you soon get found out in the O&M if you are not putting the work in on the training track.

BG: You suffered one of the lowlights of your career last year when you were dropped to the seconds. Was that a slap in the face or warranted?

AP: A bit of both really. I admit I hadn't been setting the world on fire. I just thought there was probably other ways the coach Simon Curtis could have gone about it. I don't think he realised he would cop a bit of a backlash from it. I was a little bit shocked and would have rather had the week off, train the following week and get back into it. But I copped my medicine, played two's and was back in the seniors the following week.

BG: Another controversial incident you were involved in was when Brendan Fevola, yourself and numerous other players were drinking at the SS&A Club the Friday before an inter-league match the following day. What happened that night and did things get out of control? 

AP: We were doing the wrong thing but I still thought things got blown out of proportion. One of Fev's traditions when coaching was to have a few beers the night before a match. The majority of the blokes had two or three beers and that was it. I get along with Fev like a house on fire and got caught up with him and we ended up having a few more beers than we should have. We weren't disrespectful to anybody or anything like that. It was no big deal really until we got beat the next day.

BG: From memory, you ended up copping a fine from the league?

AP: Yeah, I got fined $1000. I'm not sure how much Fev copped but I do know it was more.

BG: Looking back, do you think it was warranted or excessive?

AP: It was probably warranted. I didn't go out on the town but I was there to 11pm. It didn't affect my performance but I shouldn't of done it.

BG: Looking back on your O&M career, do you think you under-achieved or over-achieved?

AP: I'm proud of my record in the league. Looking back I probably missed three years in my prime when I was at East Perth chasing my AFL dream. That probably cost me another 200 goals which would of made my record look a lot better.

BG: I believe you uncle is Daryl "Dobber" Jordan who was a goal kicking machine?

AP: Mum and Daryl are twins. Daryl tells me he kicked 134 and 153 goals for Walbundrie in 1988-89 and that I will get nowhere near him. His son James just got drafted to Melbourne.