Having been used to surfing in the shark-infested waters off northern Sydney, Hearts newcomer Calem Nieuwenhof should be equipped at fending off apex predators in Scottish football.
Hitting the picturesque beaches had been one of the 22-year-old’s past-times before football took over.
From his debut in Sunday’s narrow defeat to Leeds United, it looks like he will be a worthy addition to a squad that has designs on wresting third place back from Aberdeen.
Nieuwenhof’s attempt to integrate himself into the squad and settle in Edinburgh will also be aided by having three of his fellow countrymen - Cammy Devlin, Kye Rowles and Natty Atkinson - as team-mates.
“What was my childhood like growing up,” said the former Western Sydney Wanderers midfielder. “It was pretty typical. I have lived in one or two suburbs my whole life in the northern beaches of Sydney.
“I used to be a big surfer.
“Surfing here? Yeah, it will be a bit colder so I think I'd better remember the wet suit, for sure!”
“Surfing (in shark-infested waters) might have prepared me a little bit for coming over here and playing in front of these fans.”
While playing in the A-League last season WSW, Neiuwenhof saw Devlin, Rowles and Atkinson use Hearts as a platform to secure places in the Australia national team for the World Cup in Qatar.
Already an under-23 cap, the defensive midfielder has made it clear that he wants to follow in their footsteps.
He added: “I spoke to a couple of the lads briefly before coming and I know that there are so many Australians who have come to Scotland and they are all doing well so it has proven to be a really good step forward.
“It has shown to be the next level from the A League to come here. That really helped make my decision to come here.
“100 per cent, trying to get into the national team is an incentive. That is something I aspire to.
“I know all the boys in the team now are in the Socceroos and that’s somewhere I want to go so that made my decision to come here even easier because I know that if I come here and perform well I could get a national team call-up. I know it’s now on me.”
Nieuwenhof is also not daunted by the task of getting up to speed quickly. Fresh of making his debut against Leeds, Hearts begin their Premiership campaign away to St Johnstone on Saturday before playing in the Europa Conference League against either Rosenborg or Crusaders just five days later.
“It is an exciting start and it is very different from Australia, he added.
“I am being thrust right into it. I was coming out of pre-season where we still have 12-13 more weeks before the first league game but then I come over here and get thrust into a game against Leeds in my first week and the season starts next week, with European games thrown in.
“That is a real positive in my eyes, the amount of games that we play over here and that is something I'm looking forward to, getting a number of games under my belt and showing good consistency.”
