Western Bulldogs forward Josh Schache thriving on new-found balance between football and life

Josh Schache is no stranger to the pressure associated with being an early draft pick. But finding a better balance has allowed the young Bulldogs forward to start discovering his potential.

Bulldogs forward Josh Schache celebrates a goal in the Round 2 match against Hawthorn at the MCG. Picture: Michael Klein   

The modern world is an impatient place.

We want and expect everything in an instant — from information to entertainment — and, with time precious, waiting in a traffic jam or for a late train quickly gets on our nerves.

Similarly, in football, we want high draft picks to impact and improve our team immediately and Western Bulldogs forward Josh Schache — the No. 2 pick in the 2015 national draft — certainly felt that pressure in his first two AFL seasons with the Brisbane Lions.

GUN DEFENDER: IS MOORE A HAWKS GREAT REINCARNATED?

ROBBO: WALLSY ‘A MENTOR, NOT A SPY’, BLUES SAY

“At the start it was a little bit tough for me to take that on and for a big guy as well it might take a little bit longer to develop,” Schache said.

“But now being back home, being at the Dogs, I’ve been able to really focus on what I want to focus on and not listen to everything else that’s happening outside the club. I’ve been able to really narrow my focus in and work closely with people that have an impact on me and listen to them.”

Schache last logged on to his Twitter account 15 months ago.

Opening or posting on Instagram is a rarity and the 21-year-old has forbid himself from having any AFL-related apps on his phone.

“I don’t have anything,” he said.

“I really just try to shut it out and when I’m at the club, that’s when I think about footy.

“When I leave I can really relax and have my downtime outside footy.”

Western Bulldogs forward Josh Schache is happy to be back home which has helped with his focus on footy. Picture: AAP

The slower development of key position players is a fact often forgotten.

Schache nominates Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt and West Coast’s Josh Kennedy as two experienced key forwards he looks up to and attempts to model parts of his game on and his numbers stack up favourably alongside theirs.

Building the body is the key challenge early days for many key position players, but Schache’s is now where he wants it to be.

Many hours were spent pumping weights in the gym over summer and, while he is officially listed at 94kg, Schache is currently closer to 98kg.

“I put on around three to four kilos,” Schache said of his pre-season.

“I sat down closely with our strength and conditioning guys and dietitians and really put a plan in place to put my best foot forward when pre-season started.

“I wanted to be able to stand my ground a little bit more and try to crash the packs a bit more. That was a real goal coming into this year.”

The results are beginning to show.

Schache played the best game of his career against Hawthorn last weekend, kicking a career-best four goals to go with 15 disposals and five marks.

He was not beaten in a one-on-one offensive contest.

“I felt pretty confident heading into this year and I feel like I’ve made a lot of gains in my game through the pre-season,” Schache said.

“But it’s one game and there’s another 20 to go. If I’m doing what the coaches want me to do week-to-week I’m happy with that and if we can get a few more wins on the board, that’s obviously more important.”

Schache snaps a goal against Hawthorn last week. Picture: Michael Klein.

Teammate Jack Macrae describes Schache as “quiet and unassuming” around the club, but the Bulldogs don’t need him to sing and shout to draw attention to his talent.

“You can see why he went at pick two,” Macrae said.

“The way he moves, he’s such a natural footballer and so silky smooth with his kicking action.

“Hopefully last weekend was a real breakthrough game and he’s been showing signs of that in training and through parts of different games.”

The balance outside of football for Schache extends beyond just minimising social media use and restricting the apps on his phone.

Wednesdays are spent completing a building apprenticeship, there are regular weekend trips to his hometown of Seymour to see family and outings to the cinemas with Bulldogs teammates.

This week the choice of movie was ‘Us’, which “left a few of the boys pretty scared”.

“That balance is really important and it’s something that I probably didn’t realise how important it was until I got back here,” Schache said.

“When I first got here (at the end of 2017) all the boys and coaches were really good welcoming me in and another year on the back of that, it’s been awesome.

“It’s been a good journey so far.”

Originally published as Western Bulldogs forward Josh Schache thriving on new-found balance between football and life