Nat Fyfe has come along way from Lake Grace to the AFL's biggest stage

LAKE Grace is never far from Nat Fyfe's mind and when he runs out onto the MCG, the rural WA town will be there with him.

Nat Fyfe

LAKE Grace is little more than a blip on the Western Australian landscape, surrounded by salt lakes, but in football terms, it might well be considered a gold mine.

For the second year in a row, the town, 345km east of Perth, and with a population of around 500 people, will be represented on the AFL’s biggest stage.

Last year it was Mitch Morton representing his former home town, as he kicked two goals in Sydney’s thrilling 10-point win over Hawthorn in the Grand Final.

Fyfe mark

This year, his former next door neighbour, hopes to do the same.

Incredibly, Nat Fyfe, one of Fremantle’s most important players, grew up next door to the Morton family, whose three sons (Mitch, Jarryd and Cale) would all go onto to play AFL football.

And Lake Grace is also the former home town of Mark Bairstow, the Geelong star who played in three losing Grand Finals (1989, ‘92 and ‘94).

The Fyfes lived at 8-10 Elliott Street; the Mortons lived at No. 6; and their football playground was anywhere they could find it.

On the front lawns and bitumen roads outside their neat but modest homes; out the back on the salt lakes; and at the local footy ground where the Lake Grace-Pingrup Football Club calls home.

“The Lake Grace Footy Club is just about the best place on earth,” Mitch Morton said.

“It’s just a great story. Nat’s a great kid, who is a credit to his family and to Lake Grace.

“We’ve had six or seven AFL footballers come from here, which is pretty amazing when you think about how small the population is.

“There’s not much else to do in Lake Grace, but play sport. That’s why the town produces so many good players.”

Morton’s family moved into Elliott Street when he was nine and he lived next door to the Fyfes for a number of years, as he watched the progress of young Nat.

In the town he was always called Nat, and never Nathan.

“Take the footy away, and he’s still a great kid,” Morton said.

“You would never find anyone who would ever say a bad word about the Fyfes.

“They are just salt of the earth people, like most people in Lake Grace.

“His brother (Liam) was probably more into his dad’s business (Fyfe’s Transport), but Nat was into all sports. He always had a go at anything he played.”

While Morton has long since moved away from Lake Grace, most of Fyfe’s family still lives in the town and the exciting Docker midfield gets back whenever he can.

“He goes back home as often as he can,” Fyfe’s manager, Jason Dover, said. “He’s got his truck licence and is studying for his helicopter pilot’s licence, so he can maybe use that for mustering or from a rural sense when his footy is finished.

Fyfe Wojinski

“When Freo went out of the finals a few years ago, he went back to watch his mate play for Lake Grace and he watched their grand final from the back of a ute.”

Fyfe said this week: “Most of my family are going (to the Grand Final). My brother is staying home, watching at home, and holding the fort there, but as you can imagine, they’re all pretty thrilled.

“I’ve got a couple of mates who are flying to Adelaide and driving across because they couldn’t get flights straight there.”

That road trip from Lake Grace to Adelaide was the best part of 2500kms (or about 26 hours) before taking the flight to Melbourne which took less than an hour.

Lake Grace-Pingrup Football Club president Royce Taylor said the entire community was “in a buzz” over Fyfe playing in the clash with Hawthorn.

“Nat’s a great kid and a great footballer, we see him back here at harvest time whenever he gets the chance,” Taylor said.

“Our senior team lost in the grand final a few weeks ago and the reserves won the flag.

“A few of the boys have gone on a footy trip to Darwin this weekend, so they will be watching Nat from up there.

“And they are putting it on the big screen at the Sportsman’s Club in Lake Grace. We’ll be cheering for the Dockers and for Nat as well.”

Morton will be watching his former neighbour with pride about their shared Lake Grace and Grand Final connections.

“I’ll be going out to get a Freo No. 7 jumper, but I am also barracking for two of my best mates — ‘Buddy’ (Franklin) and ‘Roughy’ (Jarryd Roughead),” Morton said.

And you can bet the next generation of kids growing up kicking a Sherrin on the Lake Grace salt lakes will be watching — and dreaming — this weekend.