McAndrew,who measures a whopping 209cm but weighs in at only 95kg,has been playing footy for less than two years,and accepts he is a long-term project for the Swans who won’t be ready for the top grade for a while yet.
He grew up playing rugby at Forest from the age of three,following in the footsteps of his father David,who was also a second-rower - and he must have been a half-decent one too,considering his nickname was ‘Ealesy’.
McAndrew went to St Augustine’s College in Brookvale,made the Independent Sporting Association first XV,and played colts rugby for the Manly Marlins,but struggled to compete at the top level because of his lean frame.
“I didn’t really have the body size to play rugby. Once I got to that high level of footy,the only thing letting me down was body weight,” he said.
But his manager figured he was perfectly suited to become an AFL ruckman,and took him to a Sydney Swans home game in 2019. McAndrew had shown next to zero interest in the sport until that point but,almost instantly,he was hooked.
“We got a seat right next to the edge of the field and just became really interested in the sport,because I’d never really watched it live,” he said.