Crikey mate, he’s on the other side of the world.
And Ante Milanovic-Litre is soaking up the warm weather.
Literally – soaking.
“I’ve been sweating profusely since I’ve been here” Litre laughed. “The weather has been really good. It’s been snowing a lot in Vancouver, so I think I’m in the right place.
“I recommend CFL players come to Australia because you gain your summer back. We lose our whole summer, well not lose, but we are working our whole summer and there isn’t too much down time during our season. Being able to spend time on the beach and spend time doing summer activities, that’s been nice.”
Ante Milanovic-Litre enjoying the beach and the weather in Australia.
The hulking running back made the long trip because of … teeth?
Well, his girlfriend’s pursuit of career in dentistry has brought the pair to the land Down Under.
“We went to Australia two years ago and we really liked it,” explained Litre. “She decided to apply for Dental School here and she got admitted into the University of Sydney. So I came with her to help her move in and get settled.”
When the 2019 Stampeders campaign came to a close, Litre made plans to get back Down Under.
Booking flights and getting his contract situation under wraps were at the top of his priority list.
“After the Grey Cup I went home until about Christmas and then hit the road,” Litre said. “We started with a flight to Waikiki, Hawaii and we had a five-day layover. My family joined us for that week and we had a nice vacation out of it. After the five days we hopped on a plane to Sydney.
“That would have been a heck of a long-distance relationship with the CFL. I’m glad I was able to deal with the contract before I left.
“You try not to think about your contract in season, but once our season sadly came to an end, one of the first things I thought about was, ‘How do I get back into Calgary?’ My agent called me early in the off-season and said that Calgary was at the table negotiating with us and that was extremely exciting.”
ES Marks Athletics Field located in Sydney, Australia.
As with every off-season, training is paramount.
His new home has provided Litre with ample amenities to complete a variety of workouts, both on and off the field.
“Australia is known for being a top sport science country in general. A lot of the strength and conditioning literature comes from Australia, so I’ve connected with some good people to help me,” said Litre. “There’s a gym within walking distance of our place called Sydney Strength training. I met the owners and told them about who I am and what I do and they were so excited to have a gridiron player come in that they invited me to come and work out whenever I wanted.
Ante Milanovic-Litre (middle) at Sydney Strength Training with trainers Rheece Stennett (left) and Joe Pemberton (right).
“In Vancouver there are soccer fields everywhere, but here there are cricket oval’s everywhere. There is a cricket ground close to the apartment and I’ve made friends with the groundskeeper and he tends to the grass on a daily basis. So there’s a high-quality, well-kept grass field that I’ve been training on. A lot of things like that have been lining up nicely.”
And through his workouts, he’s caught the eye of many locals who have been perplexed by what he’s doing.
“People here don’t really know anything about the CFL or football,” said Litre. “When I’m training, people come up to me and ask me what I’m doing. Most of them have never seen a football in their life. I’m teaching them how to throw and catch and that’s super cool.”