Adelaide Crows forward Josh Rachele visited St Anne’s College in Kialla as part of their end-of-term celebrations.
The AFL player, who grew up in Greater Shepparton and once donned the Shepparton Swans colours, engaged with the students in a Q&A session and signed memorabilia.
Rachele was invited to the school’s Footy Colours Day, an annual tradition that sees students and staff wearing their favourite team’s colours.
“I was lucky enough to have my brother’s girlfriend invite me to come to their Footy Colours Day today,” Rachele said.
“It’s a pretty special day and it’s good to see everyone here.”
The event was organised by PE teacher Kasey Senior and learning support officer Mia Jeffery to align with the school’s annual celebration.
St Anne’s College principal Sue Carroll said the atmosphere was electric.
“The older students were hanging off every word Josh had to say during a Q&A session and the younger students were marvelling in awe and cheering loudly at clips of Josh and his awesome goal-kicking ability,” she said.
Rachele, who has had a rising career trajectory with the Adelaide Crows, still fondly remembers his roots.
“When I was in Shepparton, I played for the Shepparton Swans. I went to Notre Dame College until Year 10,” he said.
Despite the shift from local player to professional athlete, giving back to the community remains important to him.
Rachele believed it was important for AFL players to return to the community they were raised in.
“Always giving back is a good thing, something that a lot of us players kind of promote, especially giving back to your country town if you’re from there,” he said.
“I always like doing this. I did one last year at one of the other schools too, so it’s something that I can continue to do.”
Mrs Carroll commended the player for his strong message to the students.
“Josh was able to deliver a great message in line with our college expectations of respecting everyone and everything, being your best and helping others succeed,” she said.
“Discipline, commitment and being a team player were the key ideas for the students to take away with them.”
Mrs Carroll spoke of the positive impact of his visit on the students.
“We were very grateful that Josh took time out of his day to share his experiences,” Mrs Carroll said.
“He was an impressive representative of the Adelaide Football Club – he may have converted a few as Adelaide supporters.”
Despite all he has achieved, Rachele said he often found himself in disbelief.
“I still pinch myself a little bit, especially because two years ago, I was just a Year 12 student, and now you could regard me as a high-profile athlete, so it’s still a little bit weird,” he said.
With eyes set on the future, he is optimistic about his club’s prospects.
“I think we (the Crows) have had a really positive season. Obviously, we’re a bit unlucky not to scrap into the finals,” he said.
“But we definitely progressed from last year, and I think next year we’ll definitely progress into the eight.”