Lachie Quaife makes emotional Eastern Football League senior debut for Noble Park
Four months after the sudden death of his father, Lachie Quaife was called up to play his first senior game in the Eastern league. And after a successful first game for Noble Park, he paid tribute to the “best mate” who should have been there to cheer him on.
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Steve Quaife rarely let a conversation with Mick Fogarty pass without mentioning it.
“Hey,’’ he would say to the Noble Park senior coach.
“When are you going to play the young bloke?’’
That was a reference to Quaife’s son Lachie, a promising player with Noble who featured in last year’s under-19 premiership team.
Steve Quaife, a plumber, did some work with Fogarty last year, and every morning he would greet him the same way: with a cigarette falling from his mouth and with a question about his son’s selection chances.
“Geez mate, give me a chance to say hello to you!’’ Fogarty would reply.
The proud father put the coach on the spot every day.
It was similar on Saturdays after the under-19s game.
Steve would drift past Fogarty and make comments like, “Geez, the young bloke went well’’ and “He can’t be far away now’’.
Fogarty would laugh, and respond that Lachie was indeed going well and coming along nicely as a player.
Last Thursday at training, Fogarty announced to his senior squad that Lachie Quaife, a 19-year-old apprentice carpenter and a tough midfielder, would be making his senior debut against North Ringwood.
Bulls football manager Steve Coats whipped out his phone to record the moment.
It was an emotional time for the young man and his family.
In March, Steve Quaife suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 53.
Lachie’s mother, Jenny, called him at work and told him to come home quickly. He won’t ever forget that phone call or the few hours that followed it.
“It was heartbreaking, pretty shit, to be honest,’’ he said.
“Dad was my best mate. Me and him, footy was everything to us. It was our No 1 thing. Footy chats every night after training. He was there at every game of mine. He was my coach in juniors for a couple of years too. Yeah, pretty heartbreaking for me, mum and my brother (Angus, 15) … Life goes on, I guess.
“I’m trying to be there for my brother and my mum.’’
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Lachie said his father’s death had affected his football.
“I found a bit of form in the last couple of games, but because of what happened to dad my head wasn’t right earlier in the year,’’ he said.
“I was sort of going through the motions. But to start getting a kick again, that picked me up.’’
Lachie played junior football at East Burwood and tried out for the Oakleigh Chargers under-18 squad for 2017.
“Shattered’’ to miss the cut, he crossed to Noble Park to join the under-19s at the invitation of former Bulls assistant coach Hayden Stanton.
“I had one training session and I loved it,’’ he said. “I knew Noble Park was for me.’’
The Quaifes have become part of Noble: as Lachie plays, Angus runs water and Jenny takes photographs. The football club has helped them through a painful time.
Lachie’s debut on Saturday came in rugged conditions at Quambee Reserve in Ringwood.
Noble Park triumphed by 24 points. It was cold. It was wet. It was windy.
“It was awesome,’’ Lachie said. “It was everything I expected. Tough, hard, fast.’’
Fogarty said Lachie would play a lot of good football for the Bulls.
“He’s as tough as nails, a terrific inside player, cracks in as hard as any young bloke I’ve seen, see ball, get ball,’’ he said.
“He’s a beautiful left-foot kick, so once we get the balance right and add to his outside game, he’ll be a terrific player.’’
Fogarty has been coaching for a long time. There were “shitty’’ aspects to it, he said.
But telling a young player he will be making his senior debut is one of the pleasures of the job.
“Sensational. It always is. It’s a joy when you see the look on their faces. It gives everyone a lift … they’re feel-good stories,’’ he said.
“In the case of Lachie, it was a really special one.’’
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