GEORGE Hewett may be unassuming off the football field, but he’s uncompromising on it.

It’s that trait which made Carlton so keen to bring the now-former Sydney midfielder through the doors of IKON Park.

Submitting the paperwork on the opening day of the window, the Blues officially welcomed Hewett on Saturday, not giving up any draft capital due to his status as a free agent.

Hewett is very much a known commodity in AFL circles, having averaged 20 games per season over the last six years as an integral part of Sydney’s midfield mix. 

Reprising that inside midfield role in the second half of the 2021 season after an initial stint at half back, that’s where Hewett sees himself playing his best football in his new colours.

“It’s where I feel most at home, I guess,” Hewett told Carlton Media.

“I know my strengths, which is being hard at it and being clean. I just try and be creative when I’ve got the ball and beat my man when I have to beat them.

“I’m confident in what I can do for this team and club.”

While the process may have taken a day longer than he would’ve liked, Hewett’s confidence that he would be in Navy Blue sooner rather than later never wavered. 

He was in the Club polo on Saturday, when new AFL Senior Coach Michael Voss was one of the first people to get in touch.

An uncompromising midfielder in his own right, Hewett said his initial discussions with the new coach had been fruitful even at this early stage.

“He was obviously a fair player: he captained a side which one three premierships. Everyone knows he’s going to have a lot of respect,” he said.

“His phone call was great: he called me a couple of days ago. We didn’t really talk footy, but more about how everything’s going, the similarities of living in Adelaide given he’s been there and talking about family.

“It was a really good conversation.”

While Saturday marked a significant new frontier for the South Australian, the next few months will still present a period of transition.

He’ll move to Melbourne in readiness for pre-season while his partner Alice and son Henry will remain in Sydney, before making the move post-Christmas. 

In that time, Hewett is keen to get to know and work with his new teammates, having his sights set on building chemistry with Patrick Cripps and Sam Walsh: “two of the very best in the competition at what they do”, according to the 25-year-old.

“It’ll be a bit easier on my young one and partner for them to stay in Sydney during the time before Christmas, and I’ll head down and train with the Club,” he said.

“We’ll go from there. Hopefully restrictions ease when we hit the 70 per cent or 80 per cent vaccination rates and hopefully we won’t have to quarantine.”

The opportunity to play his football in Victoria for a traditional club and passionate membership base is something that Hewett has already cast an eye to leading into 2022. 

“I think it’s pretty obvious: you just need to look at the list to know how exciting the team and the list looks,” he said when quizzed about his decision to join Carlton.

“It’s a massive club. Hopefully when the Covid stuff is over, we get to play in front of some big crowds at the MCG every second week — that’d be pretty cool.”