If the Brisbane Lions didn’t beat the Western Bulldogs to end their season, would Josh Schache be the No.1 draft pick?
That win, which the AFL said was “unlikely”, relegated Carlton below Brisbane to bottom of the ladder.
But the Lions may still get their man on Tuesday night.
And Schache is a dream fit at the Gabba, set to arrive with a strong pedigree laced with romance.
His late father Laurence played 29 games for Brisbane and Josh looms as the obvious heir to Jonathan Brown’s goalsquare throne.
Schache was bamboozled when one AFL club asked him to spell Adelaide backwards in an interview this year.
But when coach Justin Leppitsch presents him with a Brisbane jumper in Adelaide as the No. 2 draft pick it won’t be for his lateral alphabet knowledge.
It will be for his clean marking on the lead, running power and, most of all, his deadly goalkicking action.
Some recruiters have likened Schache’s set-shot routine to a fluent golf swing.
The Seymour product slotted a staggering 62 goals this year, including a personal-best bag of eight on the road against Western Australia.
Schache’s 24 majors for Vic Country is the most of any player on the national stage, while he can also win the ball at ground level and roll through the ruck.
He averaged 157 SuperCoach points for Vic Country in the most dominant carnival by a big bloke since Tom Hawkins.
So why is he such a good set-shot, particularly when it was a rusty action growing up?
“I’ve just made my own routine that’s specific to me,” Schache said.
“I do six walking steps and then four running steps and I don’t measure how far off the mark I go.
“I go back as far as I think I need to give me enough room to kick through.
“I make sure I’m not too close to the man on the mark otherwise I’ll kick it too high or kick around him.”
Essendon champion Matthew Lloyd helped hone Schache’s action while the laid-back country kid said hearing stories about his dad, who died from a rare heart disease aged just 34, ignited his passion to play footy.
“Dad passed away when I was five. I remember kicking the footy with him on the back lawn,” he said.
“I definitely think about him a lot. When I’m playing footy I think about him a lot.
“There’ll be a lot of thoughts going through my head (when I play my first game) and I’m just hoping I can get to that stage.”
Schache spent a week living with Travis Cloke this year and has been compared to the Collingwood spearhead — but with a better radar.
Cloke taught him to live a balanced lifestyle while Schache — a North Melbourne fan has also enjoyed watching Buddy Franklin and Drew Petrie.
Brown has urged Lions supporters to be patient with Schache but while some Lions recruits have impatiently walked out, the left-footer says he is no flight risk.
“I’m going to have to leave home anyway. So if I leave home for Melbourne or if I go interstate I think I’ll cope well with what’s thrown at me,” Schache said.
“It doesn’t faze me and I think I’ll be able to cope with it very well.
“And (playing for Brisbane like dad) I think it would mean a little bit more.”
AGE: 18
HEIGHT: 199cm
WEIGHT: 96kg
CLUB: Murray Bushrangers
POSITION: Key forward
SUPERCOACH AVG: 157pts (Vic Country)
PLAYS LIKE: Travis Cloke
PREDICTED DRAFT RANGE: 1-2
IN THE MIX: Brisbane Lions (2)
