Swain fondly remembered the young Robertson yesterday as he reflected on his 18-13 defeat of Scotsman Graeme Dott to become the first non-British winner of the world title since 1980.

"He was a quiet kid who sat in the corner and just played brilliant snooker," said Swain, who is the president of the Northern Tasmanian Billiards and Snooker Association.

"You can teach kids how to pot a ball or kick a footy but nobody spends a lot of time teaching them how to behave. Well he had something special there, he was different from the rest."

Swain said work commitments prevented him from watching yesterday's climax live, but he was nonetheless proud of the 28-year-old who was part of his junior development program from under- 12 through to under-21.

"Neil is a perfect example of what it takes to be an athlete in control of his talents, a good kid, modest and well- mannered," the 61-year-old father of two said.

"It will be interesting to see what effect this world championship will have on him."