BRENT GODDE: Your sister and yourself achieved the huge honour of being named players of the World Polocrosse Cup. Would it be fair to say in football terms that the achievement is similar to winning the Morris medal?

JIM GRILLS: It's probably a fair comparison considering it is the highest individual honour you can receive in polocrosse.

BG: You have won three flags with Albury. Which achievement do you rate highest?

JG: Obviously I cherish my three flags at Albury. But to be able to win a World Polocrosse Cup and be named the best in the world, I do rate that higher because it is on the world stage. Don't get me wrong though, I still have a lot of respect for my football achievements.

BG: What do you love most about polocrosse?

JG: I guess it's a family tradition with my parents heavily involved in the sport and the breeding side of things as well. We all play and took 34 of our horses to the world cup. It has taken a lot of hard work to achieve what we have in the sport. But all the hard work paid dividends in the end and that's what makes it so satisfying.

BG: There was 8000 spectators attending the World Polocrosse Cup, it must have been an awesome atmosphere and how does it compare to an O&M grand final?

JG: The atmosphere was massive because there was 8000 people, all Australian and all behind us. We hadn't won the world cup since 2007 and it was a massive advantage to have the crowd on your side. We would get out there early in the warm up and the crowd would be pumping. The biggest difference compared to an O&M crowd is the support is generally around 50/50. So it was good to get that support behind us, not just for the final but the whole week at Warwick.

BG: You often see how much jockeys are blowing after a race. Is Polocrosse similar and you need to be extremely fit?

JG: There is obviously a certain level of fitness required but all of our players were naturally fit. The main attribute you really need is flexibility and to be able to get out of your saddle and closer to the ground and then back into your saddle. You go flat out for six minutes and then rest for six minutes. It's a bit like football in that respect where you go hard for a bit and then come off. Football has made me a lot fitter than I need to be to play polocrosse. At world cup all the pool stages are six chukkas of six minutes and the semi-final and final are eight chukkas of six minutes.

BG: What position do you play and what is your role in the team?

JG: I am what you are called our No. 1 and is similar to your GA in netball. It's my job to score the goals and I played that position pretty much for the whole tournament. Lucy plays No. 3 and Abbott can play No. 1, 2, or 3.

BG: Riding horses at high speed I imagine would have a fair element of danger. Is there many injuries to either horse or rider?

JG: There can be, it depends a lot on what horses you are given. Your side is given a pool of 16 horses at the start of the World Cup and we finished with 16 horses. We did have one accident at training with Abbott but he and the horse pulled up OK. There were some other nations who aren't as equipped to look after their horses who finished with 10 horses who were still able to compete.

BG: What is the worst injury you have suffered in polocrosse?

JG: I've had a few injuries but not playing more at home when on a young horse. I remember I broke my foot two years ago and missed nine weeks of football. Generally when you get to world cup level you are on elite horses and there is less likelihood of injury.

BG: Your family is heavily involved in breeding horses?

JG: Mum and dad breed about 100 horses a year, mainly for polocrosse. They were also the major sponsor of our world cup team and sold a two-year-old for $19,000 for sponsorship of the team.

BG: Do you have to train much for polocrosse or does it just come naturally?

JG: From Christmas, leading into the world cup there would have only been a handful of days that I didn't train. The horses need to be worked every day to keep up their fitness levels. Also the world cup is international rules and you can score overhand so you can score from either side of your body. Normal Australian rules you can only score underhand which means you can really only score from one side of the field. So we have to train for the International rules in the lead-up because it is another skill involved.

BG: How long does it take to train a horse to be of world polocrosse standard?

JG: It all depends on a horse's temperament. As a two-year-old the process starts of breaking a horse in and making it stop and turn. Then they will go out for 12 months. As a three-year-old they will come back in and have a bit more work on stop and turn at speed. At four they have the racquet and first chukka. At five they start playing their first game and the next two years is just getting match-hard and fit, similar to a footy player from the age of 18 to 22. My mare won the best horse of the world cup and is seven and turning eight this year. So she is just at the start of her polocrosse career.

BG: What attributes constitute a good polocrosse horse?

JG: Obviously speed and the ability to stop and turn. A good temperament is also essential because it can get fairly hectic on the field and you need to have a horse that can handle the pressure. In those big matches, another factor is the crowd, the music is pumping after each goal, the commentators and that they can remain settled in that atmosphere.

BG: Once a horse has hit the elite level, how much it is worth and would you sell yours?

JG: Generally all the horses we can still breed from don't get sold. I have got one mare that was born without ovaries and she is my best mare and is named Scarlett. Se we might look to sell her after the Ballarat nationals. We will ask for somewhere between $30,000 to $40,000.

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BG: What is next on the radar for you as far as polocrosse is concerned?

JG: We have got the NSW Club Championships which is being held at the Equestrian Centre in Albury over the long weekend in June. It's always a big event and decides the best club in NSW.

BG: Albury has been very accommodating and let you juggle your passion for both sports?

JG: Definitely. Albury have always looked after me since I arrived at the club and give me the freedom to miss a few games when I have a polocrosse tournament. Paul Joss sponsored Lucy and I, so Albury has been very good to me and my whole family really.

BG: You have played under some talented coaches at Albury Sportsground. Who do you rate the best for your development?

JG: I been very fortunate to have very good coaches across the board since I arrived there. I love Chris Hyde and Shaun Daly and they have been awesome for me and still are.

BG: Speaking of coaches, you must have been shocked to see Peter German depart during the week?

JG: It was a shock but I have been out of the loop a little bit because I have obviously been away. But it is a fairly tight-knit group and I'm sure Tom McGrath and Luke Daly will do a fantastic job for the rest of the year.

BG: I remember you took a crucial mark on the goal line in the dying stages of last year's grand final when Wangaratta were pressing hard in that final term?

JG: Yeah it was a timely mark. I try to push back a bit and I was a bit lucky that I bobbed up at the right place at the right time. But I think playing in front of those big crowds with Albury also helped me with the pressure of playing in front of the big crowds at Warwick. So that has been a big help and the professionalism at Albury also helped me. At Warwick it was a pretty big week because you are always on camp and on site and a lot of external pressure to perform in front of your home crowd.

BG: How old are you and what are your future plans football wise?

JG: I'm 24. I just have to work my way back into the senior side now and hopefully make it to another grand final and see how we go. I have got one more trip to Africa later in the season but that is only for a week. But my main focus is football now for the rest of the season. I'm keen to play for Albury as long as I can. Albury has looked after me and I'm keen to return the favour.

BG: It must have been a huge thrill to be named the best female player in the World Polocrosse Cup?

LUCY GRILLS: It was a big thrill and to win the world cup was something that I have dreamt of for a fair while. To be named the best female player was just the icing on top.

BG: Who do you regard the best player out of your brother, your cousin and yourself?

LG: It's definitely not me. It's a bit like splitting hairs choosing out of Jim and Abbott and they both have different attributes that make them so good. Jim's confidence and ability to instill belief in other people is something that I respect.

BG: I imagine Jim and yourself are both ultra competitive and use that to get the best from yourself in regards to polocrosse?

LG: We get to play together a lot so we feed off each other that way rather than feel like we are competing against each other.

BG: What do you love most about polocrosse?

LG: To me it's the family aspect and it's a real family affair. There is not too many sports where you go away for a month and you spend the entire time with your family. All the lead-up and everything is done together, so when you have success it is nice to share it with your family.