Connor told TWG:
How he had to grow up quickly after leaving home at 15
That he wants to be a property developer when he finishes playing
Where he loves to go for a holiday
What he hopes his life is like at 40
Why Donald Trump would be top of his dream dinner guest-list
What his best advice is for promising young players
TWG: You turn 21 on 31 October. Are you going to have a party or is it just impossible with football to consider?
CC: I might have a little party. Football always comes first, but my birthday comes the day after we've got a home game against Newcastle so I might have a little party with my family, that sort of thing. The family might come down for the game and we'll have a nice dinner. It won't be a massive party, but it will be good to get together with the family.
TWG: You were born in Sydney. Is that where your family is still situated?
CC: Yeah, the family is mostly in Sydney. Through football I lived in Canberra from when I was 15, moved up to Newcastle for two years and now I've been in Melbourne for about two years. My dad lives in Darwin, he's the CEO of football up there, and my mum, brother and sister all live in Sydney.
TWG: When you move out of home at 15, you tend to grow up quickly. Is that how it felt for you?
CC: Yeah, for sure. Moving out of home at 15, at the time you're sort of buzzing because it's a big deal and you get to be around your mates and all that sort of thing. We all lived together at the AIS. Then, moving away from the institute and up to Newcastle you learn that you have to start paying bills and rent and you're looking after yourself. All of a sudden you're playing football to pay for your week-to-week living and all of your money goes towards that. Melbourne is a beautiful city and I really enjoy living here. You do definitely grow up quickly, leaving home so early, and in the position I play in - you have to be quite mature as well.
TWG: Mistakes in the central defence can be expensive.
CC: On the field if you make mistakes you can't be too negative about it, you have to use it as a learning tool. I mean, they say centre-backs have to be experienced, but there's only one way to get experience. If you make mistakes you have to turn it into a positive by learning from it and not doing the same thing again.
TWG: What is it like to play for a club owned by the City Football Group?
CC: Well, if you see our facilities, and it's not only the facilities, it's the feeling around the club. They've got that winning mentality and in everything we do, they give the players no excuse not to succeed, because we're prepared so well. We've got great training fields, great staff and great facilities. They take great care of us and the professionalism at this club is second to none. I think it gives every club in the league the urge to get to that level.
TWG: Are all your friends in football or do you still have friends you grew up with at school?
CC: I went to Westfields Sports High and a few of my mates from there are in the A-League. Other than that I've got a few mates outside of football and you need that because you're whole life can't be football. You know what I mean, or you're just thinking football, football, football. It's good that football is important to you and you concentrate hard on it, but you need things outside of football as well. You've just got to be able to rest your mind from that and it's good to have friends who, when you talk to them, they don't talk about football.
TWG: What do you do on your days off in Melbourne?
CC: It's different to Newcastle, there aren't many beaches down here and that was pretty much my thing in Newcastle, just go to the beach. Here I've got a dog to walk and there is plenty to do with my girlfriend, go to cafes to relax or go down to St Kilda, places like that. It's a great place to live.
TWG: What about movies, music, television or reading - do you spend much time doing any of these?
CC: I'm more into properties - I want to be a property developer when I'm older. Right now I've got a few friends who are property developers and are mentors to me in that area. When you're a footballer you have to focus on that, but football only goes until you're 30 or 35 and you need something outside waiting for when you finish football. So that's what I'm into, and to relax it's going to the beach, or playing FIFA, or taking the dog for a walk or spending time with the missus.
TWG: Have you started your own property portfolio yet, or is it too early?
CC: I'm pretty close to getting my first one. The first one is always the hardest and then from there I can learn more about developing and choose what I want to do.
TWG: If you could go anywhere in the world for a holiday or a major sporting event, with everything laid on for free, where would you go?
CC: Half of the A-League goes to Bali at the end of the season and there's a place called the Gili Islands, just off Bali, and it's got everything. It's a beautiful island and you can relax and enjoy yourself. That's probably where I'd go. My girlfriend has land in the Greek Islands and I've promised I'll go there with her. She says it has the most beautiful water in the world. For a sporting event, I'd probably go to the Super Bowl.
TWG: Unfortunately for you the timing of the Super Bowl, in the first week of February, isn't good, because of football. You might have to wait until you finish playing to get to one.
CC: I know, we finish the A-league season in April or May, so that makes it difficult.
TWG: If you could choose a few people from around the world to have dinner with and pick their brains, who would it be?
CC: It might not be a popular one to pick for some people, but probably pick Donald Trump. I don't agree with some of his views, but he's a property guru and it would be good to be able to ask him a few things.
TWG: You're 20 now. Do you ever wonder what you'll be doing at 40?
CC: Hopefully at 40 I've done well both on and off the field and I'm able to relax a bit and not have to stress about an eight-till-four job and I'm sitting either at Gili Islands or the Greek Islands and smoking a few cigars.
TWG: Finally, what is your best advice for 13 or 14 year-olds who want to know how to get where you're going?
CC: I think the big thing at that age is to realise you're going to make mistakes, but that you can learn quickly from those mistakes and cut them out before you make them too often. If you can do that and keep your head screwed on and never get ahead of yourself and always try to stay grounded, it's a good start, because when you get ahead of yourself in football, the game has a habit of catching up to you. Hard work is obviously important and so is surrounding yourself with good people who aren't going to bring you down off the field. If you do all of that, you'll give yourself the best chance of making it.
