Cornthwaite, 25, has made 12 appearances so far this season after signing a two-year deal from Adelaide United earlier this year.

Chunnam are currently third in the K-League hot on the heels of Pohang Steelers and powerhouse Jeonbuk Motors. And, crucially for Cornthwaite, boast impressive defensive stats (only 16 goals conceded in 18 games, the best in the K-League), as they eye league and Korean FA Cup glory.

The man dubbed “Coni” – partly to fit on the back of his shirt and partly for pronunciation reasons - has even popped up twice for a couple of trademarks goals.

It’s been a dream start to his career in one of the biggest AFC leagues.

In recognition, one Korean magazine is said to have rated his performances as the best Australian defender in Korea and one of the success stories out of all the foreign players this year.

“It’s nice to get a big of recognition like this. It’s a great compliment,” Cornthwaite told au.fourfourtwo.com from his club’s training base in Gwangyang.

Cornthwaite freely concedes it’s been a move that popped up at the perfect time in his career after six seasons at Hindmarsh.

“To be honest, I haven’t really played well in the A-League I don’t think for probably two seasons,” he admitted.

“I was probably a little bit stale at Adelaide United. I’d been there for so long. I’d been there since I was about 18, since the first year of the A-League, and it’s my hometown.

 “And to be honest I’m not shying away from the fact that I hadn’t been pushing myself the way I needed to be.

“I started to read a little bit of negative things about me but now I’ve moved on and I don’t’ really care.

“Just coming over here has really freshened up things for me. In fact it could’ve been ideal to make a move here earlier [in my career],” he said.

Cornthwaite is part of a growing number of Asia-Roos in Korea. This season alone former Roar defender Luke DeVere signed for Gyeongnam FC while Iain Fyfe inked a deal with Busan I'Park, And with Cornthwaite that’s quite an Aussie defensive bloc.

For that you can thank Sasa Ognenovski – one of the great success stories of Australian football at K-League side Seongnam.

“From day one everyone asked me if I knew Sasa,” said Cornthwaite. “He was and is highly respected here. I’ve got no doubts with Sasa and Eddie Bosnar in Japan they’ve definitely forged the path for Australian defenders in Asia.

“And from what I’ve seen, and how difficult things are here, what he [Sasa] has been able to achieve has been fantastic. He’s probably going to be a Seongnam legend for many years to come.”

Wisely, Cornthwaite’s Chunnam coach Chung Hae Soung – a devotee of the Barcelona method of training - allowed him time to settle and get a feel for the K-League before playing him.

Cornthwaite says that and his hunger to succeed and immerse himself fully in the lifestyle of Korea has helped enormously. And in a 46-player squad only three Chunnam players are over the age of 30.

It makes for an exciting mix and it’s starting to show out on the park. The side is undefeated now in their last ten games.

“Obviously the technical side here is higher than the A-League, and that’s obviously improved me since I’ve been here,” added Cornthwaite.

The tall defender has been particularly impressed with his teammate and Korean U-20 World Cup player Lee Jong-Ho.

The 19-year-old, who is said to have been approached by Inter Milan when he was 17, is just one of a number of highly technical players coming through the Korean system.

It’s a system that Cornthwaite says is producing some fabulous footballers. “He’s really, really strong, sort of a Matthew Leckie type of player - lightning quick and is making a real impact for our team.

“All the players are good at keeping the ball and very good under pressure," the Aussie added. "So I’ve learnt to play more in tight spaces and keep possession.”

But there are challenge. Cornthwaite received a red card in a 4-4 draw with Daejeon Citizen FC recently with the former Red saying dissent or violent conduct is swiftly dealt with by the Korean whistleblowers.

He added: “Every day is a challenge and I’ve just embraced it so far. Everything happens for a reason and definitely since coming here I’ve been playing some of the best football in my career.”