We caught up with our new striker Joey Katebian who shared a bit about adapting to life in Brisbane, his goals at Brisbane Roar and his incredible passion for Harry Potter.
What number have you been given for the Brisbane Roar?
- “I’m not too sure. I was registered as Number 33 for the [Westfield] FFA Cup so hopefully I keep that for the [Hyundai] A-League. It’s my favourite number, so let’s hope I get that one. I just started off with it as a junior and it just carried through. It’s just a random number, I’m not a fan of the “popstar” numbers so hopefully I can keep the #33.”
What’s the best part about Brisbane so far?
- “The weather, no doubt. The weather is unreal compared to Melbourne! It’s sunny every day and it makes getting out of bed for training that much easier. The city’s nice and I’m excited for the future up here.”
Which Roar teammates have shown you around Brisbane?
- “All the lads have welcomed me with open arms, I’m really happy with how I’m settling in to be honest. Andre [Jannese] has been showing me around, Rowlesy [defender Kye Rowles] too. I love my coffee so guys like Jack Hingert and Corey Brown have taken me out for a coffee or two.”
What are you driving at the moment and what’s the dream car?
- “At the moment I drive a Holden Cruze, it gets me from A to B. The dream is a G-class Mercedes Benz. I’ve thought about, already looked at it so it’s definitely one for the future.”
Is this the first time you’ve lived away from home?
- “There’s been times where I’ve been away from home for weeks but I’ve never lived interstate without the family. I’m an independent boy, I should be fine. Luckily I”m a pretty good cook, I love my steak and veg.”
What are your goals for the next six months in Brisbane?
- “I want to get as much preparation under my belt and then obviously gets as much game time as I can when the season starts. I just want to keep knocking on the door, keep working hard at training and make the most of any opportunities I get given. Scoring goals is always an objective of mine. The dream would be to some score goals and win that premiership at the end of the season with the Roar.”
What does Joey Katebian do off the pitch?
- “I was studying Exercise and Sports Science in Melbourne, but I’ve deferred that for the semester. I love my coffee, I love my cafés. I want to open a café once I retire and make it a Harry Potter themed one because I’m a bit of a fan. I’ve been to Bowlesy’s [defender Daniel Bowles] coffee shop and it’s unreal! I’ve had a chat with him and I’ll get some advice from him because he’s doing really well.”
Tell us more about this Harry Potter passion?
- “Ever since I was a kid I’ve enjoyed watching it. Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger, is my favourite woman in the world, well aside from my mum of course! It’s always been a favourite of mine. I’ve actually got a small tattoo of it on my ankle – it’s Harry Potter’s glasses with the lightning bolt. I just read the new book in about an hour and a half, so now I’ve got nothing to do. When Alan Rickman, who played Snape, passed away that was devastating. I didn’t know him but he was a really prolific part of my childhood. I love Dobby, he’s actually the background on my phone. It’s a bit of an insane obsession but Football and Harry Potter are what I love.”
What are you going to sing as your Brisbane Roar initiation?
- “Back in Melbourne I sang Wonderwall, but that was a bit of a safe option. I’ve got a few ideas but I need to have lots of practice first. I enjoying singing I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas so I might start to work on that one straight away.”
