Why this Tigers recruit ditched Western Australia for Orange

It's this combination of work, sport and change of scenery that enticed Mr Naushad's move from Western Australia to Orange in the first place.

"I love WA and I always will, but I'd never really lived anywhere else," he said when asked why he made the 3500km relocation.

"I moved to Perth when I was six and didn't leave until a couple years ago when I was 24. So I was there for basically all of my life.

"I wanted to try something different, so I applied for a bunch of jobs in country Victoria and NSW and Orange looked like the best place where the jobs were going."

Lucky for him, he was offered a job at the hospital in a city he described as having the "perfect amount of balance".

"I was living in a town that was similar population to Orange and I really liked that," he added.

"All my family is in Perth and I loved going there but it just ended up being a bit too big and congested. When I was looking at places, Orange was big enough size that there was enough going on, but not so big that it felt like a rat race."

That was that and come October 2022, Mr Naushad officially touched down in Orange for a new start on the east coast.

The six months since have been everything he expected, even if the climate is a bit of a battle.

"My first winter here will be interesting because it's been pretty cold so far already for me. I've been told by everyone that it gets a lot colder, but I think I prefer the cold to the disgustingly hot," he said.

"I've got a really good team here at work and everyone I've met has been really nice, so I've got no complaints at all."

Although he had grown up playing Aussie Rules, through bad timing Mr Naushad hadn't played the game he loved in a couple of years prior to his Central West move.

But with the Tigers on the hunt for recruits and pre-season kicking off soon after he hit town, it made for an easy choice to lace the boots up once again.

"In terms of winter sports, I don't think there's much else like it," he said.

"The competition is a lot smaller than it is in WA and the culture around the town is different as well. Not just people not knowing the rules, but not knowing the teams in the AFL is a bit different to what I'm used to.

"You have to get used to saying footy and people assuming I'm talking about a different code, then having to specify Aussie Rules. It's a bit different, but I don't think that's a bad thing actually."

After one pre-season game, Mr Naushad was hooked and hasn't looked back since. He even put those WA talents on show in round three, when he was named player's player in the first tier one Tigers victory of the season.

"I didn't realise how much I missed playing until I got out there. I'm still a bit rusty but it's been amazing," he added.

"I've loved playing footy and the guys we have are amazing. It makes a big difference when you care about the other people on your team."

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