Playfair admitted he had to be careful not to reveal any of the Swans' trade secrets, as per the strict orders of the club's football department. He also discovered he needed to exercise caution when airing his full and frank opinions. "I had to run it past Roosy and Johnny Longmire and they said just make sure you don't give too much away. I didn't give much away about the club's specifics, obviously, and then you're commenting on your mates, so most of my comments were pretty positive about the Swans and I just tried to bag the other teams. I just liked critically analysing the game. It made you really concentrate and pick apart what was happening, and then try to put it into words."
While the 27-year-old enjoyed his radio stint, the former Cat hasn't put all his off-field eggs into the one basket. Study has been a constant during Playfair's football career and he wouldn't have it any other way. "I started a commerce degree in Sydney before I was drafted so I'd done a few subjects before I went down to Geelong. There were a fair few of us studying - probably about 10 players at that time. Charlie Gardiner, Matt McCarthy, Tim Callan and Tom Harley were doing my course. My parents always used to encourage me to finish off my university degree and I just ticked them over, two subjects a semester and knocked it off in 2006 or '07. I'm focusing on footy but it's going to end one day, so I've tried to have a look at as many options as I can before I have to go and get a real job!"
Not content with just one university degree, Playfair is now in the middle of a Masters of International Relations. Could Henry become a high-flying diplomat once he's finished in the Swans' forward line? "Craig Bolton started doing that with me, so we're about halfway through, which has been pretty good. I'd like to knock off a Masters and then that might do me for study. In terms of future employment, I'm not set on anything. I've probably narrowed it down to something to do with footy broadcasting or with a club, or the other side, which is finance or something to do with the international relations degree."
Regardless of his post-footy profession, Playfair said the rigours of study had been a welcome off-field distraction during his nine-year career. "As players, there aren't many options if things aren't going well. You can't take off for a few days or go and have a hit of tennis, because your body might get sore. Sitting in front of the TV gets a bit stale at times, so when you're focusing on uni, you're not thinking about anything else - especially not footy. I think it's a good release for me over my career but at the same time, you don't want to get stressed about uni and have that impact on your performance. It's a bit of a fine line, but if you're carrying the right amount of subjects, it can be a good release."
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