I'm thrilled to be back in WA this weekend and I can promise SUNS fans I'll be back at training when expected.

I feel like I've matured a lot as a person since last year where I got myself into a bit of trouble by skipping my flight back to the Gold Coast to stay a bit longer than I was allowed at home with my family after a game at Subiaco Oval.

I’ve been hitting the text messages pretty hard this week to scrounge up enough tickets for all my family and friends to come to the game.

And I'm fortunate that the club has let me say an extra night again this year. They know they have nothing to worry about this time.

The turnaround for me started when Karmichael Hunt and his partner Emma took me under their wing.
It made me feel like I was in a family again and everything just grew from there.

Everyone gets homesickness and when you come from a family as big as mine, I have four sisters and brothers, there is a massive hole when you move away from them.

That is why last year, when I got back to Perth for that game, a lot of emotions took over.

The club let me spend an extra day with the family and grandparents, especially being around my sisters, and I just couldn't tear myself away.

Everyone makes mistakes and I accept I did the wrong thing back then.

When I got back I was suspended by the club and I look back now and think they handled things perfectly. Those weeks in the NEAFL made me desperate to win back the side's trust and determined to return to have the impact at AFL level I believed I was capable of.

I was flooded with invites for dinner or coffee from my team mates and it made me realise the value of being part of a team.

But it was moving in with K that changed me as a footballer.

I was blown away by how professional he is and I just started to copy his every move. I learned a lot about diet, recovery and saw the extras that guys like him do to get to the top, such as extra ice sessions, stretching and massages.

When the baby was due I moved out to give K and Emma some space and was lucky enough to move in with a fellow indigenous player Jarrod Harbrow and his partner Emma.

The fact they have welcomed me into their home has made the switch very easy and I've been thrilled with how it has panned out.

Jarrod has become like a brother to me and we love to get out fishing together on his boat whenever we get a chance.

He too has opened my eyes to the level of professionalism required when a player is on the comeback from injury and if I ever get a major injury I now know what it takes to fastrack recovery.

On the field I feel a lot more confident this year. I feel I have got stronger and fitter and stronger in the mind. I am also more disciplined and aware of what the team requires of me.

Once a week I do contested ball work with Karmichael and Gary Ablett and that is also helping me out on the field.

Ive also learnt a lot about giving back to the community. Last year you couldn't have forced me to get up and talk in front of a group of people, even kids. But I loved a recent trip to Cape York and want to do more. I just love the smiles on the little kids' faces when they see AFL players. I used to be that kid. I was doing a clinic with David Swallow when it clicked for me. He just said don't be shy, you're going to make some kids day today.