Aka jumped in the car talked non-stop, but he didn’t really say anything. It was my first introduction to his world. He was different. Did the incessant talk indicate a lack of confidence? With no father in his life, was there an insecurity? Did he feel a need to prove himself? As a coach, you like your young players to pull their heads in and do a lot of looking and listening. I thought Aka, with his chatter and bravado, would rub a few people the wrong way. And he did. But he was resilient. In the training camp, he backed himself, took the hits that came his way and didn’t whinge. He was tough and yet fragile as a 17-year-old. Now, on the eve of his 300th senior game, some 15 years on, I doubt much has changed. In his first season as a Bear, in ’95, we introduced him to senior football via the back pocket. His super speed, endurance and athleticism were not matched by his knowledge of the game and skills. The idea was to keep it simple and the apprenticeship began. As skills and understandings developed, a move to the open spaces of the wing saw the footballer emerge. Aka trained hard, saw the benchmarks set by the older players and challenged himself to beat them. And he did. But he was naive and tended to speak without thinking.