Bacchus Marsh produced two number one draft picks in three years with a range of factors behind the success

Located an hour west of Melbourne, the growing town of Bacchus Marsh has produced an incredible run of top end AFL talent. AFL legend and former junior footy coach Doug Hawkins reveals what makes the town so special.

The number one pick, Sam Lalor is presented his jumper by Trent Cotchin during the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft. Lalor is from Bacchus Marsh. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Welcome to Bacchus Marsh - arguably Australia’s fastest growing new footy factory.

The small town in Victoria’s west, home to 25,000 people when the suburbs of Darley, Bacchus Marsh, Maddingley and Hopetoun Park are included, can lay claim to being one of the most successful places to produce AFL stars after local son Sam Lalor was taken at pick one in this week’s AFL Draft.

Just two years ago the town was celebrating similar success when Darley’s Aaron Cadman was also a number one draft pick.

The town’s talent doesn’t stop there.

Port Adelaide midfield superstar Zak Butters also hails from Darley while West Coast captain Liam Duggan played junior footy at Bacchus Marsh.

Then you have AFLW superstar Emily Bates, a five time best and fairest at two clubs, who also was born in Bacchus Marsh before her family relocated to Queensland when she was three.

To top it off, Bacchus Marsh also had Lucca Grego, who played his junior football at Altona and Bacchus Marsh, selected by West Coast with pick 48 on Thursday night.

Former Western Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins, who coached both Duggan and Cadman, firmly believes the secret to the town’s success lies with the great cultures at both the Darley and Bacchus Marsh footy clubs.

Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters is from Darley, a suburb of Bacchus Marsh. Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Hawkins moved to the region after his football career ended and has coached at both clubs over the past decade and a half.

He coached the juniors at the Bacchus Marsh Cobras before taking the reigns as senior coach in 2013.

He later coached Darley’s under-19 team.

“Both clubs are very well run, both are professional,” Hawkins revealed.

“They’ve just been able to produce some very good talent and I still believe there is some talent coming through yet to go bang on the scene.

“Exciting times in the area for Bacchus Marsh.”

Aaron Cadman was the number one draft pick in the 2022 AFL draft. Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Both club presidents told this masthead their major focus was on their development of juniors.

In fact, Darley’s motto is all about the kids.

“At our club there’s one motto as far as the juniors go it’s - what’s in the best interests of the kids,” Darley president Mark Shelly said.

“What that brings is you want the club to be a destination club and you want players who want to be there.”

“From a Darley point of view we’ve always tried to get the best possible coaches available.

“That helps make sure these kids are getting developed correctly.”

“You don’t judge a junior coach on their win and loss ratio, you judge it on their retention for next year.”

Bacchus Marsh president Ian McClure said it was a similar story for the Cobras.

The team makes sure their junior program is run with support from the senior players and coaches.

“We try to look after our junior program so when they get to a certain age we don’t lose them to other clubs or Melbourne,” he said.

“I think it also helps that for a period of time we’ve had a lot of ex-senior footballers involved in our junior program and coaching.

“It gives a lot of credibility to the program.”

Another factor in the Bacchus Marsh’s success stems from its unique position in having two Coates Talent League teams covering the town.

Depending on where you live a Bacchus Marsh player can either qualify for the Western Jets or the Greater Western Victoria Rebels.

Both Cadman and Lalor were Rebels but Butters and Duggan were Jets.

“It’s the location or the locality where the younger players here have the Jets and Rebels available to them,” Shelly said.

“I think that’s some factor in it (to the success).”

Shelly added the schooling of these kids was also important.

Former Fremantle Docker Brett Bewley (who hails from Darley), Duggan and Lalor all attended St Patrick’s College in Ballarat, which has nurtured elite AFL talent for more than 20 years under the guidance of coach Howard Clark.

If Bacchus Marsh students don’t go there then there’s the Maribyrnong College, which also provides an elite sporting academy.

Butters went to that school before heading to Port Adelaide.

“I think it’s get back to junior football programs, that’s got a fair bit to do with it,” Shelly said.

“It’s no coincidence that a lot of these guys go through schools like St Pat’s in Ballarat.

“There’s really good football programs available at school as well.”

Regardless of what is working, the town hopes it continues.

“It’s great for the town,” McClure said.

“It gives the town some good publicity.

“I’m not sure what’s in the water but I hope it gets left in there.”