Football
From the 'burbs to the big game; meet the A-League superstar Lachie Rose
Repping Australia in the Red Bull Neymar Jrs Five and putting football first helped Sydney local Lachie Rose fulfil his dreams of playing the game at the elite level. We chat to him about his journey
Australia is a competitive landscape when it comes to sport. Codes notoriously steal from one another at junior levels which tends to leave a lot of sporting promise untapped at young ages. The AFL steals from basketball and cricket consistently, and the NRL often robs soccer. Tennis stars might not be unearthed until their later years and if golf doesn’t claim the kids early… well, it all might be too late.
For Lachlan Rose, who is now a budding star for one of the youngest clubs in the A-League -- Macarthur, based out of South West Sydney -- this was a story he knew all too well.
“Because my Dad was a tennis coach, I began playing tennis at a young age,” Rose tells us of his early sporting years. “But it wasn’t until later that I discovered my love for football.”
As a parent myself, I can understand this push and pull where certain sports are concerned, but for Lachlan the eventual choice wound up being kind of easy, and based more on an aspect of a pure love for "The World Game" after experiencing the fervour that comes attached to it from an IRL perspective.
No tennis elbow here
© Images provided by Lachlan Rose
“While I enjoyed tennis and even had the opportunity to travel to America to participate in a tournament when I was just nine-years-old, I knew that my true passion lay with football,” he reveals. “And in retrospect, I think what drew me to football was attending an A-League game when I was younger and seeing the excitement and energy levels that the sport drew with its crowds. I [just] knew I wanted to be a part of football at the highest level I possibly could.”
Local Boy to Local Hero
Macarthur, which joined the A-League in the season spanning 2020 to 2021, is a young darling of the league, featuring a lot of -- no pun intended -- A-Grade talent. What makes Lachlan standout, however, is that he’s as homegrown as they come. And as we alluded to in the opening salvo of this piece, this country has a lot of competing codes, which means retention is kind of a big deal (just ask the GWS Giants about it).
“My junior footballing journey, for me, was a mental roller coaster, but [I’d also say it was] character building,” Rose says. “I started my grassroots at Castle Hill United which was my local club [but] then moved on and into reps/NPL. From the ages of 13 till 18 I never got retained at a club -- I either got told I would never make it as a professional footballer, or I wasn’t good enough.”
And for him, that was more than enough to do what Aussies love doing the most -- defying the odds.
Lachan looks like he should be on a surfboard
© Images provided by Lachlan Rose
“Personally, I’m very thankful to the people who said that because if they didn’t [tell me those] things I wouldn’t be where I am today,” he adds with an obvious sense of pride. “And one thing I learnt from tennis was [how to be] be mentally tough. So I used those early attributes [to help] in those situations; to be able to go to myself ‘okay, if you don’t believe in me that’s fine but I’ll prove you wrong’.”
Obviously playing at the elite level of your sport in this country is recognition enough, and certainly proof that his naysayers were wrong, but for Lachlan the journey has really only just begun, and he remembers -- all-too-well -- those who saw the potential in him.
“During that time you quickly realise who is your support, and who isn’t,” he says candidly. “After [turning] 18 I played at Blacktown City for two seasons and decided to drop down to NPL 2 to play First Team football at the Blacktown Spartans, and it was the best thing I did.
“During that first season at Blacktown Spartans my friends and I entered the Red Bull Neymar Jr 5s tournament and we won the Australian competition and got the opportunity to represent Red Bull Australia at the world finals in Brazil,” he adds. “For me this was the opportunity of a lifetime, but also an eye-opener. After my first season I packed my bags and went to England by myself and just trialled at different clubs as I [felt I] wasn’t getting recognised to get an opportunity in Australia at a higher level…”
Of course with the best laid plans, the universe doesn’t always agree with you.
Nothing quite like donning the green and gold...
© Images provided by Lachlan Rose
Defensive Structures
“Due to COVID I had to come back home,” Rose says. However, silver linings does, actually, have a playbook, and it seems as if Lachlan was all up-to-date on its beats and ‘mysterious ways’. “That’s when Macarthur Bulls FC spotted me at one of my games for Blacktown Spartans and decided to bring me in for a trial.
“I was on trial for three months and they decided to give me a one-year-deal with the First Team and said ‘prove yourself’,” he continues. “I started the first ever game for the club and since then I’ve played the most games for the club as well.”
This achievement isn’t lost in any level of success, and nor is Lachlan resentful of his journey or even those who overlooked him. The term “glass half full" truly encapsulates, at least, his professional career.
“I was just waiting for someone to believe in me and give me an opportunity and Macarthur Bulls FC was that club and to this day I’m so grateful for it.”
Sydney, born and bred
© Images provided by Lachlan Rose
The use of social media has helped a lot of players by being able to upload videos for people to watch and the accessibility makes it easier for players to get noticed...
When Opportunity Knocks...
We’d be remiss not to be chuffed that during his journey Lachie had a brush with us, but the truth is this has been on his agenda from day dot, and like so many other facets of his journey, we were just a step.
“I’ve got a brother and a sister, but I’m the eldest out of the lot,” he tells us. “Growing up I was in a very competitive family, especially having my brother who was close [to me] in age [but that] helped me get to where I am today.”
Pathways are, of course, incredibly important from a young age, and while those warring codes do still pick and pull, Lachlan has noticed the A-League’s in particular is now in full swing and netting results.
“The pathway system in Australia has improved since I was younger and the opportunities to get quality training has risen a lot,” he says, chuffed. “The use of social media has helped a lot of players by being able to upload videos for people to watch and the accessibility makes it easier for players to get noticed. Younger kids are getting brought into A-League clubs' systems at younger ages but also the NPL clubs are promoting players as well.
“I was a late bloomer in football and didn’t develop till later on so I never really got noticed at a younger age but the way the A-League, especially these days, is promoting young players to the First Team, for me, shows that it has risen a lot compared to the past, and players are taking these opportunities they are given.”
On the hunt...
© Images provided by Lachlan Rose
Growing up, Lachlan also had a handy local sporting hero in Craig Johnston, whose own unique journey to Liverpool FC helped spark a lot of that resilience and belief that if he just kept at it, he’d be able to realise his dream.
“He [Craig Johnston] was my idol [because of his] story of how he got to where he did and all the setbacks he had,” he says. “For me I could personally relate to his story and it made me believe that I could achieve anything if I put my mind to it. [As for the future:] I want to play overseas at one stage in my career as a lot of players would say, but my main goal is that I want to represent my country and to put on a Socceroos jersey -- that for me would be a dream come true.”