“Andrew’s a great role model for me. He’s an elite midfielder in the AFL now and its fantastic to learn as much as I can from him,” Bastinac told kangaroos.com.au.
The 20 year-old credits Swallow for helping him get fitter and stronger than he’s ever been.
“Andrew was staying longer in Utah (in November) because of the International Rules and he gave me a call before we left and asked if I wanted to stay back with him,” Bastinac told kangaroos.com.au.
“I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first but once I was over there I was really enjoying it and I felt good so I thought ‘why not?’. He’s such a hard trainer and always gets the best out of himself so it was good to work with him.”
The pair remained for an extra week after their team-mates had returned to Melbourne, and Bastinac believes it’s made a huge difference in his preparation for 2012.
“It was great to train together for the extra week, it was really beneficial for me,” he added.
“It was nice not having a strict structure, we had our own programs to work on and then we could enjoy some free time. One day we did a three-hour cardio session because we couldn’t go for a hike since it was snowed over.”
Swallow isn’t the only influence for the youngster though. He has much respect for recently retired champion Brady Rawlings, who now holds a full-time role in the club’s football department.
“Brady’s been such a great player for the club for so long, so to wear his number three is a real honour.
“If I can have half the career that he had I will be happy.. just add a few premierships onto that.”
