He may only have 32 senior games to his name, but Nathan Laracy has this year become Werribee’s longest-serving VFL-listed player.
The 27-year-old arrived at the club from his hometown of Wodonga ahead of the 2010 season and – from behind his trademark thick beard – has watched the club evolve over seven years.
From regular injuries – he’s currently sidelined with a knee niggle – and stints playing in the Development League to being named Werribee’s 2014 Player of the Finals, the rugged 176cm defender has been through a range of experiences he’s now using to help younger teammates starting out on their VFL journeys.
It’s this instinct to help others that will lead him lose his popular beard in the name of charity this week.
Laracy will undergo the shave at the Werribee Mercy Hospital on Wednesday at 10am to raise funds for the hospital’s new Critical Care Unit, days after the Tigers and Footscray played off for the HealthWest Cup in Round 2 to raise awareness of the work done by the Western Health and Mercy Health organisations in the local area.
Laracy said his teammates were “not really fond” of him losing the beard, but he’s making it up to them by passing on wisdom gained over his time at the club.
“I’ve had a few injuries in my time – and I’m not using them as an excuse – but you don’t have to be playing to be respected in the group,” Laracy said.
“I try to help out even though I’m on the sidelines. I still try to go through footage with them and pick out things they need to work on – it’s keeping me very busy even though I’m not playing.
“I haven’t been gifted with much senior experience but I’ve loved every minute of being here. I just can’t leave, to be honest. I guess blokes sometimes do leave for the money but football’s never been about that for me. I’ve just been about trying to help people with my experiences because people did that for me when I first got to the club.
“I’m a pretty loyal kind of person, and with people that look after me, I try to look after them.”
Grab a copy of this weekend’s AFL Victoria Record to read the rest of this story, including Nathan Laracy talking about his biggest influences at Werribee, how he got his senior VFL break and his thoughts on what the club is facing in 2017.
The ‘Fast Five’, with Nathan Laracy
(vfl.com.au will this year ask our profiled Peter Jackson VFL players five quick questions to find out more about who they are off the football field.)
What food could you not live without?
I love chicken; I couldn’t live without chicken.
If you could do anything, what would be your dream job?
I wouldn’t mind running my own mini-golf place.
Which karaoke song would you sing to save your life?
It’d have to be ‘Horses’ by Daryl Braithwaite.
Which teammate would you want to be stranded on a desert island with?
Ryley Barrack, because of his humour.
Which teammate would you not want to be stranded on a desert island with?
Tom Gribble, because he’d just talk about himself.
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Werribee season preview
Last Modified on 25/04/2017 11:12
