WHILE Steve Yiv is an Adelaide native, when it comes to the AFL his loyalties don't lie with the Crows or Port.
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So when Yiv, who supports St Kilda, was looking for a club to join in Bathurst and discovered his options were the Bathurst Giants or the Bushrangers who don the same colours as Port Adelaide, it was a easy choice.
"I'd taken a year off and I wanted to really get back into it, so I just Googled a footy team in Bathurst and the Giants came up," Yiv said.
"They [Bushrangers] popped up too, but I was like 'I don't want to wear Port colours because I don't like Port. I'm going for Giants'."
Come this Saturday when Yiv pulls on a Giants singlet for the fifth time this season it will be against one of those two Bushrangers sides - the second placed Rebels.
He is well aware of the talent within the Rebels ranks and that they have already beaten the Giants this season - posting a comprehensive 21-13-139 to 9-5-59 win in round two - but Yiv does not regret his choice of clubs.
Even if he does have to explain what code he means when wanting to talk footy.
"I'm still getting used to it that when I'm talking about football, people think I am talking about rugby footy when I'm talking about AFL footy," Yiv said.
"[But] I love it at Giants, they are a great group of boys to play with.
"I am aware of them [Rebels] and that they're a good side, but I reckon if we start off strong we'll have a good chance, our side looks pretty solid at the moment."
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Before Yiv developed his passion for Australian rules, it was a different sport he played each weekend. But once he made the switch from round ball to Sherrin, he didn't look back.
"I played soccer first when I was younger and I enjoyed it, but I played a bit of footy at school. I thought I was better at footy than I was at soccer, so thought I'd stick with footy," he laughed
He played in Adelaide before his work as a pharmacist saw him move interstate. He joined the Broken Hill AFL and lined up for Central Broken Hill Football Club.
Work then saw Yiv on the move again. He took 12 months of football and moved to Bathurst before a Google search led him to the Bathurst Giants and making contact with coach Mark Kennedy.
His initiation to the CWAFL came soon after.
"I messaged Kenno during the week, I think it was on the Wednesday and Kenno was like 'Can you play Saturday?'," Yiv said.
"My first game was at Parkes and played my first game there. I hadn't trained once for the Giants back then. I thought 'I don't know anyone, but I'll give it a shot'.
"At the moment Kenno has got me at half forward which I am liking, but normally when I'm fit I'm on the wing or in the middle. I think this weekend he has got me in the middle."
Yiv now knows his team-mates and is looking forward to trying to help them to win number six this season against the Rebels. Opening bounce is at noon.
