And that has been the case this year for Sam Fotu, whose retirement from basketball has allowed him to rekindle his passion for football.

While Fotu is best known in Bendigo for his three successful years on the basketball court with the Bendigo Telstra Braves, the 32-year-old is now plying his trade on a Saturday afternoon in the Heathcote District Football League with Colbinabbin.

Such has been the impact Fotu has had at Colbinabbin this season, in the past fortnight the former star point guard has forced his way into a powerful Grasshoppers senior side that sits atop the ladder.

Although, the fact Fotu is now in the Colbinabbin seniors shouldn’t come as a surprise when looking at his footballing history.

As a teenager he was part of both under-age state football and basketball squads in Western Australia, before like many young talented athletes have to do, he had to choose one pathway to follow.

While in most cases it’s football that wins out, it wasn’t the case for Fotu, who as a teenager chose to pursue basketball - and the rest is history.

“That was when basketball was hip and was the big thing,’’ Fotu said this week.

“So I thought I would have a crack at the basketball.’’

Fotu was able to retire from basketball last season, content and satisfied after winning three SEABL conference and two ABA national titles in stints with the Mount Gambier Pioneers and Braves, having earlier in his career been a development player with NBL club the Perth Wildcats.

Now embarking on life post-basketball, Fotu says he is relishing his time at Colbinabbin, which actually started last year when he played enough games late in the season to qualify for the reserves finals.

“I played a few games of footy last year for Colbo and was lucky enough to play in the reserves grand final,’’ Fotu said.

“I wanted to test myself because I hadn’t played footy for such a long time.

“It was another way to meet new people and after playing basketball for so long, it almost got too much, so to play a bit of footy was a good release.

“So I thought I would have another crack this year and see where it took me.

“At the back of my mind I thought if I could play a couple of games in the seniors it would be a bit of fun.’’

And that’s exactly what Fotu has done, with his consistent form in the reserves having been rewarded with senior selection for the Grasshoppers in their past two games against Elmore and White Hills.

“I’ve got a taste for it now, and the beauty about Colbinabbin at the moment is that both the seniors and reserves are on top of the ladder, so players are really pushing for spots,’’ Fotu said.

“I’d love to keep playing senior footy and play through the finals, but if that doesn’t happen, I still have a chance in the reserves.’’

But at the moment it certainly appears more likely Fotu will be a part of the Grasshoppers’ senior team come finals time, after the glowing assessment of his recent form by playing coach Brent Millar.

“We kept Sammy in the twos for a while because we didn’t want to rush him in,’’ Millar said of this season’s plans.

“We knew he definitely had ability; his basketball career showed that and he’s amazing with his hand-eye co-ordination.

“He had played state representative football at under-15s in Perth, so as far as I’m concerned, if you can play state footy at that age, you have ability.

“He is coming along beautifully and playing good footy, so he will hold his spot, that’s for sure.’’

Like the way he played his basketball, Fotu is a bullocking player who thrives on the contest.

“We started him on the ball last weekend and his main role was just to get his hands on it straight away,’’ Millar said.

“His job is to be in-and-under and be aggressive at the football and generally, he clears space.

“Our midfield is generally fairly small, so with his size and bulk, that’s what we needed.’’

While he simply enjoys getting out on a weekend and chasing a kick, Fotu is relishing the environment of being part of a country footy club.

“It’s a totally different social atmosphere (to basketball),’’ said Fotu, who before last year hadn’t played a game of footy since lining up for the East Fremantle under-17s in the early ‘90s.

“A town like Colbinabbin has 120 people, but to have 300 or 400 at the game is great.

“And all the people don’t care who you are, just the fact you are playing for their club they want to come up and say g’day to you.

“So I’m really enjoying that social aspect and meeting a whole bunch of new blokes as opposed to the basketball circles.

“With the basketball there were 12 blokes and you were in each others’ pockets all year round, which was a good and bad thing.

“With footy there is a lot more variety. You have 22 blokes in seniors and reserves, the junior players who are always hanging around as well, which is fantastic, and then you have the netballers.

“I can already understand why people stick with their football clubs for so long.’’

As for how his body pulls up after 100 minutes of football compared to 48 minutes of basketball: “With basketball you run 30 or 40 metres, stop and turn around, but with footy you can run 100 metres and still keep going,’’ he said.

“It’s amazing how quickly your body can adjust, but initially there were plenty of ice packs and plenty of cold baths when I got home.’’