It may have taken until game 62, but Euroa young gun Lachie Hill announced himself at the weekend as a future star of Goulburn Valley League.
Hill took his game to a whole different level in the round 16 win over Rochester, amassing a game-high 36 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 11 score involvements, eight clearances, seven inside 50s and a goal.
The Magpies were missing a swag of experienced talents, most noticeably superstar Will Hayes, yet those vacancies presented the perfect opportunity for the 21-year-old.
“Since I’ve came into the senior team I’ve played that high half-forward role and as a lead-up forward, but with a few fellas out I got a chance in the midfield. It was awesome, I love playing in there,” Hill said.
“With Andrew Smith doing the ruck work it makes our midfield job pretty easy, tapping it down your throat. And having a few of those older fellas around, who have played a lot of footy, like Belly (Andrew Bell), Gus Varley (Marcus Varley) and the Gleeson boys makes your job easy.”
Stand-in Euroa coach Neale Poole described Hill’s efforts as a “breakout game” in the wash-up of the 40-point triumph.
Despite how impressive Hill’s game was, it wasn’t a shock to those inside the four walls at Memorial Oval.
“Everyone at Euroa rates him highly and I think he still goes under the radar at other clubs,” Poole said.
It seems that will no longer be the case, with the 2023 GVL senior interleague representative sure to catch the eye of opposition coaching staff.
Since his senior debut in 2019, Hill has quietly gone about building his strengths and forming the cornerstones of his game.
Tough as nails, Hill’s competitiveness and unflinching nature has seen him become a mainstay in the line-up.
He’s also built his game on being the Magpies’ barometer for pressure ― ranked elite in pressure acts and second at the club in that area.
“It’s helped that we’ve (had) a lot of very experienced players in the team over the past couple of years, with the likes of Jack Hellier, the Hayes boys, the Giobbis, there’s plenty of good players to lean on,” Hill said.
“It’s awesome to be around him (Will Hayes), he knows so much about footy and he’s a superstar.
“He’s so big on the fundamentals of the game and (working on) your midfield craft.”
With Hayes acting as a mentor for Hill, the emerging talent is also playing as a role model to his younger brother Ryan ― who made his senior debut in round one.
“It’s actually my first chance I’ve ever had to play with him,” he said.
“He’s had a very good year as well ... he’s pretty good with it all, I just sort of tell him to be confident and back yourself and he does that well.”
With only a fortnight left in the home and away campaign, Hill and his teammates are gearing up for another assault on the premiership.
A member of last year’s squad that suffered heartache in the grand final, Hill is certain to become an integral part if the Magpies go deep into September.
“Our last two games we’re going to get close to our full team back,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it ... I’m just happy to be in the team. If the midfield minutes are there I’d love to play it, but I’m happy at half-forward as well, we’ve got a pretty good forward line, so I’m just happy playing.”