Moama's Lachie Schultz continues to thrive at AFL level

“This goal to put them in front,” the commentator says in their head.

They lean in, drop the ball onto their boot, and watch it soar through the posts to win the game.

Lachie Schultz knew that feeling from when he was young, but unlike most of us, he has also lived the experience at AFL level.

“It really is something you dream about,” he said.

“But it’s quite different when you are actually there.”

On Saturday, after his team gave up seven goals in the first quarter against St Kilda, the Dockers kicked 10 straight to pull in front.

But the Saints came back, and with just minutes to play with scores level, the ball found the 22-year-old Moama product.

``We’d coughed up a bit of a lead in the minutes beforehand and knew there wasn’t long left,” he said.

“In my own mind, I was trying to ice as much of the clock as I could and take the sting out of the game. Scores were level, so I knew all I had to do was score.

“I went back through my routine, put my head down and kicked. And I was lucky enough it went through. It was right place at the right time for me.”

It brought the men in purple their second win of the season, a perfect way to end their stay in Queensland as part of the AFL’s first COVID-19 hub.

It’s not how your average person would spend a few weeks in Queensland, but Schultz said it was an enjoyable period.

“By the end of it you have a routine in place and it becomes like normal,” he said.

“The club was great in helping us turn off from footy and have our own time, but also you have your mates around so if you want to hang out with someone, they’re next door.”

Life in an AFL hub is not much different from what a player would experience at home — although there are a few added bonuses provided by Queensland.

“Everything we needed was there, like your medical, physio and massage to keep you ready to go,” Schultz said.

“You’d wake up, head down to the restaurant where they would make you breakfast, then you’d be off to the meeting room on-site for your team meetings.

“From there you’d do your physio, get strapped, anything else you needed before you went and had a run. Sometimes you’d train on the oval there, other times you were on Metricon Stadium (Gold Coast’s AFL venue) if it was our main session.

“We had an onsite gym to do our session there, and after that you’d be done with your football activities, like we would be if we were at home.

“With the afternoon to yourself, you could go fishing or surfing or play golf — which was pretty popular with the boys — and that was your day done.”

It’s a far cry from the AFL’s forced mid-season break, which saw the competition — like the rest of society — grind to a halt.

It was not an enjoyable time for Schultz.

“It wasn’t a good break,” he said.

“We’d had a great JLT and a great pre-season, so to be sent away was really difficult, especially not knowing when we were coming back.

“But it wasn’t a good break for anyone, not just the guys in the AFL. It was a terrible time for everyone across the country.

“I ended up coming home and spending a few weeks in Echuca-Moama while I could. As soon as they announced the border was going to close, I decided to come home and spend some time with my family.

“After a few weeks there I headed back down to Melbourne and got back on the tools with my old boss as a plumber, which was a good way to pass the time while I did the program the club gave me.

“But we eventually got back to footy and have tried to pick up where we left off as a side, and we feel like we are getting there now.”

And Schultz has continued to make an impact since his return.

The former VFL Williamstown product has added further credence to clubs taking mature aged players in the draft, having played every game this season after playing seven last year.

Schultz gives a lot of the credit to the Dockers’ new coach, Justin Longmuir.

Longmuir, a former Docker himself, took the reins at the end of 2019 from long-time coach Ross Lyon.

Schultz said Longmuir had created a great culture within the club in his short stay.

“He’s been massive for me,” Shultz said.

“He really emphasises confidence in yourself, knowing your skills and what you add, and he’s helped me to build on it and go out and play my game.

“He’s so well respected by the boys, we play for him and want to win for him as much as we play for and want to win for each other. He’s creating a fantastic culture for our club and we all feel like it’s coming together.”

While Longmuir has helped with his confidence, Schultz has also seen himself grow as a player at AFL level.

“My role is about pressure,” he said.

“I’m there to bring as much pressure as I can to the side, and then to take my opportunities when they are there, and I feel like I’ve been able to do that.

“Every week there is improvement there, and I get more confidence as the season goes, so hopefully each game can be a building block for me as a player.”

Now he is back in Perth with his teammates, with the Dockers starting off with the biggest game on the West Australian football calendar — the Perth derby against the West Coast Eagles on Sunday.

It may be his second derby, but the atmosphere around his new home will never not be mind-blowing to Schultz, especially with a crowd allowed into Optus Stadium.

“It’s a massive week here,” he said.

“You try and take the Eagles as just another team, but it's difficult sometimes. There is this huge rivalry, our fans are fanatical about it and the atmosphere is incredible.

“All you can do is try and think of it as another game and give it your all.

``The boys are looking good and we are feeling confident going into the game.”