How a late father’s early lessons and a mother’s constant presence shaped an AFL draft hopeful

There was always someone in Lachie Hicks’ corner when things got tough in his draft year.

In a world where sports parents can be overbearing, the talented Western Jets midfielder, who also played for Altona and Wesley College, has had a far more positive experience with his mum and No.1 fan, Christina.

“Mum’s kind of everything, to be honest,” Hicks told this masthead.

“She comes to every single game. She doesn’t say too much – she kind of stays away – but I know she always wants the best for me, and obviously, ideally, she wants me to make it [as an AFL player].

“She’s always been my biggest support, and it’s always been there for me as well – every bad game, every good game.”

Hicks averaged almost 29 disposals, five clearances and 1.4 goals for the Jets in an outstanding Talent League campaign this past season, then put his athletic prowess on display with top-10 results in draft combine testing in agility, the two-kilometre time trial and the 20-metre sprint.

His late father, Scott, introduced him and his other son, Brodie to football not long after they could walk.

Scott played for Essendon’s reserves and under-19 sides, as well as playing 54 VFA games for Box Hill and another eight at Port Melbourne with his older brother Ashley after starting at Doutta Stars, where the Hicks family has a strong legacy.

A serious heart condition brought a premature end to his football career, then tragically his life six years ago while he was sleeping.

Doutta Stars and Box Hill each posted their condolences at the time, illustrating the impact Scott – or “Scacs”, as he was known – had at each club, describing him as a “naturally talented, likeable larrikin”.

“He’s the reason I started footy,” Hicks said of his dad.

“We’d always go for a kick with Dad and my brother. He got a footy in our hands at a young age … it will be the best day of my life if I get drafted after all the work that’s gone in.”

There is plenty of sporting success through the family, beyond just his father.

Among Hicks’ immediate family, Christina was a state-league netballer and Brodie represented Australia at the world under-20 athletics championships four years ago, while his cousin, Robbie Hicks, played three games for Richmond in 2010.

“I got lucky with their genetics,” Hicks said.

“I got in contact with Robbie, and have been messaging him throughout the year because he’s been through kind of what I’m going through, so he understands it, and has been keeping track of how I’m going.”

Hicks, who models his playing style on that of Swans superstar Isaac Heeney, tried to dodge anything written or said about him this year to maintain his focus in the biggest season of his life.

He has been a state representative since the under-15s, so being drafted into the AFL has been a long-held and now realistic dream.

“There is a fair bit of pressure, and then people writing stuff about you – good, bad, whatever – so that’s when you lean on people you’re close with and talk to them,” Hicks said.

“If you’re struggling, or you want to talk about something, that’s when your friends and family are so important. You just have to focus on yourself and listen to your coaches and people who really know you.”

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