Three weeks ago, he was at the MCG playing in front of 100,000 fans to celebrate his third successive premiership with Hawthorn Football Club.
Now Brian Lake has arrived at the next stage of his football journey and is chomping at the bit to get stuck into it.
In one of the biggest local football signings of the off-season, Lake last week put pen to paper with Western Region Football League side Caroline Springs.
He’s expected to play between six and 10 home and away matches for the club next season.
“Coming back to local football wasn’t about the money, it’s about helping a club that I care about to succeed,” Lake told
Star Weekly.
“I have known myself for the past couple of years that, when I did finish AFL football, I would come across and play for Caroline Springs.
“I think we have the most sides from a junior point of view in the league. It’s exciting that we can get bigger and better and continue to grow as a club and help the community as much as possible.”
Caroline Springs finished fifth in the WRFL’s division 2 this year.
Lake’s signing instantly propels the Lakers into conversation as a premiership contender next season. Club officials have not hidden their long-term goal to earn promotion into
division 1 in coming seasons, and their approach is “the sooner the better”.
Lake enjoyed an incredible career at AFL level, which began with him being drafted to the Western Bulldogs at pick number 71 in 2001. He went on to play 197 games for the Dogs and won the club’s best and fairest award in 2007.
Lake was also named in the All Australian team as a defender in 2009 and 2010.
His career hit another level when he was traded to the Hawks for the 2013 season. Famously, he played in three premierships with them and was awarded the Norm Smith Medal in his first grand final.
Lake said the success of the past few years still hadn’t fully hit home.
“It won’t sink in until I’m old, fat and sitting at a bar one day and speaking to other people about it. I have definitely enjoyed myself over the past few weeks, so I probably need to pull that back a little bit.
“I’ve spoken to the coach and preseason starts November 16. I might still be on holidays but, hopefully, he can be a little bit lighter on me before Christmas.
“We will hopefully have a good year next year in division 2 and then strive to get to division 1 as soon as we can.”
Lake is well known at the Lakers. The 33-year-old’s two sons play in the juniors and he was on the selection committee that helped pick new senior head coach Scott Korczynski.
Lake also took out the club person of the year award, presented at the Lakers’ best and fairest night.
Fresh from the AFL and still in good nick, Lake did have some big money offers to play for rival metropolitan clubs.
Caroline Springs football manager Marc Raak says it speaks volumes for the character of Lake that he isn’t governed by money.
“It does cross your mind, that another club could come in with a big money offer,” Raak said.
“We are not a division 1 club and we don’t have as much money as a lot of other clubs.
“For me, it shows the respect he has got for us, and the respect that we have got even more now for him.
“Sometimes it’s not all about money. A lot of the time you will only hear about the big money going to certain players. This is more a community thing for Brian, and I think that has overshadowed the money side of things.”
Lake is the second big name to join the WRFL this off-season.
Earlier this month, Deer Park signed Coleman medallist Brendan Fevola to its 2016 squad.
With a little bit of luck, the 2016 season could see an All Australia forward in Fevola line up against an All Australian defender in Lake, at Caroline Springs Football Club.
