THE SYDNEY Swans' Tim Schmidt says he has teammates Tadhg Kennelly and Stephen Doyle to thank for helping him adapt to city life and the trappings of playing in the AFL.

The 21-year-old lived with the two players up until last year but now shares a house with his older brother, who has moved to Sydney

"They were really good to me, they showed me the ropes pretty much, what to do and what not to do," Schmidt says.

"The town where I’m from (Robertstown in SA), there’s about 150 people in it, so moving to Sydney where there’s four and a half million was a big step," he says.

"The first year I did get homesick quite a bit. It was my first time away from my family and friends. As you’re here longer, you adapt to it more. You meet new people and make more friends.

"I still like to get home whenever I can and catch up with family and friends. Mum and dad try and get over as much as possible which makes it good.

"I was a little bit sad to move out of Tadhg and Stephen’s house but it’s really good living with my brother. It’s great to have a family member around all the time. Just to chat with and do stuff outside of football."

The midfielder made his senior debut last year, playing two games after spending two-and-a-half years on the Swans’ list. He recalls the advice his housemate Tadhg gave him.

"I remember when I was playing my first game, Tadhg said, 'Just do the basics well. You’ve been playing it all your life so just do the basics well. Do what they (the coaches) ask from you'," Schmidt says.

The former Under-18 All Australian player’s lengthy spell in the reserves has made him even more determined to retain his place in the senior side on a consistent basis.

"It was a bit frustrating being in the reserves for that long because I was watching players in other teams who I got drafted with playing regular football and I wasn’t.

Players like Adam Cooney, Brock McLean and Beau Waters. I grew up with those boys and to see them playing week in week out... But there were things I had to work on over the years and build myself up to the standard of AFL football."

Schmidt is looking forward to meeting St. Kilda at the Telstra Dome on Saturday night but insists the Swans will have to get off to a better start than they did at the weekend against the Kangaroos if they’re to make this week’s trip to Melbourne worth while.

"We can’t let St Kilda get the head start that the Kangaroos did. In a lot of games we have come back and we have snatched the game back. We’re going to have to really put an emphasis on winning the first quarter against St Kilda this week and not let them have a six- or seven-goal head start," Schmidt says.