It’s been quite the few months for Lachlan Hosie, and the mid-season recruit's whirlwind adventure looks set to continue as he prepares 2020.
In May, he was playing in the SANFL; three months later, the forward got agonisingly close to an AFL debut, and subsequently signed a new one-year deal at North Melbourne.
“It’s been crazy, to be honest,” he admitted on the Powershop Players Podcast.
A six-goal haul in the final round at VFL level took Hosie’s tally to 41 for the season, 21 for Glenelg, and 20 for North.
The future looks bright for Hosie.
“I was just going about my footy and trying to impress people every single week and at the end of the year, if it happened (the contract), it happened,” he said.
“I’m so happy to have another year at this club and it was pretty easy to sign.”
Hosie was on the cusp of a senior call-up in the final rounds, and it seems his opportunity is a matter of ‘when’, not ‘if’.
“It was probably a little bit disappointing not to get an opportunity, but Rhyce (Shaw) has been really good with me and he’s been clear from day one in what he wants … I’m flat that I didn’t get a game, but I understand why and I’ll look forward to next year,” he said.
“I reckon it’s (the mid-season draft) such a good idea. It definitely would have been good to get in a game, but obviously I’ve got all next year, so it’s good.
“Looking back on it now, it’s been the best thing that’s happened to me.”
Hosie is looking to a fellow South Australian to help him find his feet in the AFL.
“Froggy’s (Trent Dumont) been the best one ... obviously being an SA boy, we chat a fair bit,” he said.
“His professionalism at the club is really good, so I’ll be leaning on him over the off-season. We’ll get back to SA and hit the ground running from there.
“He’ll be good to lean on and speak to about what I need to work on.
“He just said ‘you can never take anything for granted, it can be over so quickly’, and that’s what I’ve taken out of the chats we’ve been having.
“He’s been unreal.”
Now, Hosie’s focus is on pre-season, and the chance to take another big step in his development.
“I’m looking forward to working with ‘Larks’ (Nick Larkey), ‘Browny’ (Ben Brown), and Mason (Wood) and try to build my game off them,” he added.
“What I can bring is my threat to hit the scoreboard and to take a mark, and to try and be really lively and energetic in the forward line, and bring something unique that hopefully the team hasn’t seen yet.
“It’s my first pre-season so I’ll try and build on getting fitter and getting stronger, and hopefully once I get that done, the footy takes care of itself.”
Listen to the full Powershop Players Podcast below.
The Hosie interview begins at around 25.00.
