Isaac Quaynor spends every day getting better, no matter what.

Whether that’s through craft work at training, maintaining size in the gym, enhancing his wellness through diet and pilates, or venturing into business and entrepreneurship through creating his own scent, Quaynor is constantly evolving.

But it’s also not lost on him that he still has lots to learn about his Ghanaian heritage.

His father, Yaw, was born and raised in the coastal country in Western Africa, living a life that embedded culture within him, which he then brought over to Australia when he immigrated and started a family.

For Isaac, the eldest of six siblings, there is still plenty he is learning 25 years later as he takes an active interest in his family history.

“To be honest, I’m still asking Dad questions all the time about where we’re originally from, and what’s our tribe name for example,” he said.

“The spices in the food, there’s so much stuff I don’t know about that I want to continue to learn about.

“That’s really exciting because I can discover a whole different side of me which is really cool.”

Growing up in Doncaster in Melbourne’s east, the Magpies defender said he recalls a sense of naivety he had about his heritage throughout his childhood.

“As a kid it was all I knew, so I was a bit naïve to being a minority and having different hair and having a Dad that comes from a different country,” he said.

“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become a lot more aware and proud of who I am and what my culture is and my background.

“Having an afro for example, now I love it, I can do so much with it, it’s the best thing ever. I can do so much with it and it’s really unique, so little things as I’ve grown older, I’ve been able to really connect with my culture.”

Now entering his seventh year in the competition, Quaynor is a leader in multiple facets, most pertinently for his culture.

Recently named as part of the Pies’ leadership group for the second year running, perhaps his more significant show of stewardship is Quyanor’s standing as one of four current AFL players with Ghanaian heritage, six years on from him becoming the first when he debuted in 2019.

“The Ghanaian community and our culture is very proud, I have a lot of Dad’s friends and sometimes people that I don’t even really know come up to me and say ‘Grandson’ or ‘Nephew’ and I don’t actually know who they are,” he said.

“It’s awesome to have so much support from a relatively big community in Melbourne

“There’s a lot of Ghanaians in Melbourne and I’m very grateful for it, and there’s a few half-Ghanaian, half-Aussie players in the AFL, so there’s a little community of us.

“We’re trying to do our culture really proud so it’s pretty cool.”

And running alongside that is Quyanor’s friends and teammates immersing themselves in his culture too – whether it be sharing food, prayer, or company.

Featuring as part of Quaynor’s story in The Grind – the Club’s pre-season documentary - is a Ghanaian lunch hosted at his father’s house, with teammates Oleg Markov and Tew Jiath in attendance.

“I’m really grateful to have amazing siblings and friends in my circle and obviously to be able to share beautiful food with them is pretty awesome,” he said.

“Leggy’s a professional now with the Ghanaian food, he’s all over it.

“To be part of a Club that endorses this is something that I’m very grateful for and also to have friends that want to try your culture when it’s something they might not have had before, it’s pretty awesome.

“I want to say a big thank you to Dad because he put a lot of time and effort into cooking up all this food.”

A further look into Quaynor’s heritage is detailed in the episode two of the Club’s pre-season documentary, The Grind.