With his flowing blonde hair and and laid back demeanour, Sam De Koning certainly fits the Surf Coast vibe.
Well renowned for his accolades on the field, the premiership Cat has become an iconic part of Geelong's blonde haired, headband wearing brigade that is driving the club's next generation.
But similar to many of his teammates, De Koning also understands the importance of finding balance off the field, holding a genuine passion for the natural world around him.
De Koning joined this week's episode of Geelong Cats podcast 'To the Final Bell,' discussing how he keeps his feet on the ground in the midst of a busy season.
"I really have a connection, which I guess most surfers would and most people that love the ocean," De Koning said.
"In the natural world, you are sitting out there and you are taking in everything that the world has to offer you and how beautiful it is. Some of those moments i get to share with my family and my friends, it is pretty special.
"Anything I can do to help the environment and do my part with all that, I feel the connection and I feel like I need to do something to help that side of things.
"I am pretty passionate about all that sort of stuff, trying to have a minimal footprint and live my life while making it beneficial for the world."
De Koning is the latest Geelong player to put pen to paper recently, signing a two year contract extension last week that will keep him at the club until at least the end of 2027.
It is reward for effort for the young Cat, who has been developing into a utility for Geelong with the ability to play both in the ruck and back in defence.
Despite his relaxed and laid back approach to life, De Koning noted that he has a very competitive side that is helping to drive his development and progression each year.
"I am a probably like a duck, pretty chilled on the surface but underneath I have got a lot of things going on," De Koning said.
"I have got a lot of things that I am thinking about and trying to work on in terms of footy, off field doing university and trying to sort my life out. I do like to be pretty relaxed most of the time, but there is a competitive side to me which you need playing footy and trying to get the best out of myself.
"I have my junior coaches to thank a lot for that, they were always putting me in multiple positions. It was always something I was pretty proud of going up through the ranks from the Stingrays programs and Vic Country, where I could offer the team multiple things and be that versatile player that the coach needs.
"I don't like putting myself in a box and saying that this is the position I want to play, I want to do what I can for the team and be there to try and help us win.
"I want to continue working on all aspect of my game and getting them up to the elite level."
