On the final day of college holidays, Lucas Robinson has a convention.
The 16-year-old jumps within the farm ute with one of many canine, and heads off. He drives the perimeter of his household property in Tarin Rock, simply west of Lake Grace, in south-west Western Australia.
It is a property he might properly find yourself engaged on — if he would not observe within the footsteps of one other well-known particular person from the area.
“My hero rising up was Nat Fyfe,” Robinson stated.
“Clearly, being from Lake Grace, he’d all the time come house and I might see quite a lot of him, and he is only a actually nice particular person.
“I wish to suppose that I play a bit bit comparable as of late as properly.”
Nat Fyfe is essentially the most well-known footballing product from Lake Grace, and he is an idol for an rising gifted teen. (AAP: Gary Day)
It is simple to attract comparisons between dual-Brownlow Medallist Fyfe and Hale College boarder Robinson, past rising up in farm nation.
Robinson is already 188 centimetres tall, and moved into the midfield for Hale this season, the place he has excelled.
He was named WA’s most beneficial participant on the latest AFL under-16 nationwide championships, the place he averaged 24 disposals, six tackles and virtually 9 clearances throughout three matches.
“I like to make use of my dimension across the contest. I feel it is a large benefit. Being an even bigger midfielder, simply been in a position to recover from and get the ball out to the surface runners,” he stated.
He is additionally on the books at Fremantle as a Subsequent Technology Academy participant, which he qualifies for via his dad’s heritage.
“Each my dad’s dad and mom have been born over in Zimbabwe, and Dad grew up in Zimbabwe till he was round about 5 – 6,” Robinson stated.
“They then moved out from Zimbabwe to South Africa, and that is the place he spent nearly all of his life earlier than he met Mum.”
Swapping West Coast for Freo
Earlier than being on the radar of the Dockers, Robinson was really a part of West Coast’s NGA, having being approached by the membership. He was even enjoying for Claremont within the WAFL.
Lucas Robinson (proper) grew up farming, however desires to affix a rising checklist of AFL footballers to come back out of WA’s Nice Southern. (Equipped)
However Fremantle and WAFL membership South Fremantle investigated the place the Robinson farm is, and realised he was within the improper program. So he was switched to the Dockers NGA.
“Freo reached out, and so did South Freo, saying ‘no, he is meant to be with us. He isn’t meant to be with you guys’. In order that they sort of obtained me from West Coast,” he stated.
“I performed a number of NGA video games, and I’ve obtained a number of seems to be from a number of the [Eagles] coaches.
“They have been good and all, they recognised me. However they have been like ‘what are you doing over there?’.
“I do not suppose they fairly knew that I might jumped ship.”
Balancing act
Robinson is a boarder at Hale College in Perth’s western suburbs, the place his sporting expertise has not gone unnoticed.
He performed rugby union for a 12 months when he first began boarding, and needed to inform a upset teaching panel he was returning to Australian Guidelines the subsequent 12 months.
Lucas Robinson (proper) grew up driving headers together with his brother and cousin. (Equipped)
As a 15-year-old, in 12 months 10, he performed within the college’s First XVIII aspect, one thing a former coach is aware of properly.
“He is all the time been a gifted footballer since he got here to Hale again in 12 months seven,” stated David Bourne, who’s Hale’s head of senior college and coached Robinson in 12 months 9.
Whereas Robinson’s rise has been speedy, it hasn’t all been clean crusing.
After successful the fairest and finest in 12 months 9, he was struck down by a stress fracture in his again.
“I feel [it] actually was a setback on the time, [but] has in all probability set him up for better success sooner or later,” Bourne stated.
“He needed to work via that, rehabilitate, get quite a bit stronger. He grew quite a bit via that interval as properly, simply bodily.
“That form of led him to state [under] 15s choice, after which once more this 12 months as a state [under] 16s captain, and likewise MVP of the nationwide titles.”
Robinson is a boarder at Hale College in Perth, the place he performed within the first 18 soccer workforce at simply 15. (ABC Information: Richard Hudon)
Bourne believes being a boarder stands Robinson in good stead for any sporting profession that comes.
“Transferring away from house is troublesome at any age, and for Lucas and others to do this on the age of 12 and are available to boarding in Perth, the impartial expertise that they’ve constructed over time to truly be capable of handle that,” he stated.
Robinson admitted he struggled with homesickness when he first began at Hale, however stated he had learnt quite a bit from the expertise.
“It is taught me to be resilient and fairly impartial,” he stated.
A younger Lucas Robinson pats his pet sheep on the household farm in Tarin Rock, west of Lake Grace. (Equipped)
Whereas soccer is Robinson’s fast focus, he is obtained farming in his blood — very similar to his idol Fyfe.
“I really like going again to the farm each vacation, I stay up for it. It is a good break,” he stated.
“It will get you away from the town for a bit, and simply refreshes your thoughts for a bit.
“I really like the every single day [things] on the farm, doing one thing totally different. It is by no means the identical job.
“From such a younger age I have been out serving to on the farm with dad doing sheep work or on the header machines and all that form of stuff.”
Robinson shall be eligible for the 2026 AFL draft.
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