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Lachie Sharp is the new Coleman of the bush. The slim, 180-centimetre full-forward has kicked three consecutive tons for Bridgewater Football Netball Club and this year broke the Loddon Valley Football Netball league record with 148 goals. The previous record was 143.
But unlike Essendon’s legendary goalkicker, John Coleman, Sharp’s feats in front of the big sticks started with a knee injury rather than ended with one.
His rise to prominence as a potent forward, the most prolific goalkicker in country Victoria this year, took root in 2017 when he was known as an attacking winger at Strathfieldsaye in the Bendigo Football Netball League.
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Recovering from a knee reconstruction, he was plonked in the forward line for his first game back and duly booted 10.
“I came back after about eight and a half months, and the guys thought it was a little bit early, so I ended up getting put forward,” he told The Age. “And then I sort of got stuck there.”
Getting stuck might be an understatement. That year, Sharp won the Bendigo Football Netball League goalkicking award, the Ron Best Medal, with 124 goals. He added another 18 during the finals series.
He also won the Bendigo league’s best-and-fairest award, the Michelsen Medal, and Strathfieldsaye won the premiership.
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“I was lucky enough to have Ron [Best] come and meet me before one of our finals in 2017, well, I met him actually, and then he stayed and watched, which was great,” Sharp said.
“To be able to talk to him about footy and how it’s changed, and you know, his ins and outs, and just to talk to a great of local footy was pretty special. He’s passed away now, but that’s something that I’ll remember forever.”
Sharp, now 35, joined Bridgewater as a co-coach in 2024, kicking 138 goals. He took over as sole coach in 2025 and booted 124. He finished this season in a rush.
He kicked 60 goals in the final four rounds, including 25 in his side’s 233-point victory over Mitiamo, and ended up averaging 8.7 goals a game across the season.
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“We had probably played the top four sides leading into that point, and then we played the bottom sides and to be honest, our team found form at the right time of year,” he said in reference to Bridgewater’s consecutive scores of 202, 271, 231 and 213 in their last four games before the finals.
“Obviously, when the ball’s coming in a lot, it’s a lot easier to get on the end of goals.”
Bridgewater is a small, one-pub town on the Loddon River about 30 minutes north-west of Bendigo.
Club great Peter Collins set the Loddon Valley league record of 140 goals in 1982. It was broken in 2022 by Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell, who kicked 143.
“Leading up to the last game, there were a few locals and families saying how important it was [for the club to hold the record],” Sharp said.
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“I didn’t really think about until late, it crept up on us, but to bring it back to Bridgewater, it was a pretty proud moment for the club and myself.”
Sharp kicked 10 in the final home-and-away game against Macorna to wrestle back the crown.
He brought up the record with a 35-metre left-foot snap at the “road end” of his club’s home ground, and was swamped by teammates and a group of club members, led by reserves stalwart Ryley Commons, who set off poppers to celebrate his milestone. Sharp’s six-year-old son Tige also made it out to congratulate his dad.
“When you’ve got characters around your club who come out and celebrate, it makes it a bit more special. It was a good feeling,” Sharp said.
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“It was good to tick it off and get it out of the way. I think that was probably the most important thing for that day.”
Sharp broke through the 150-goal barrier on Saturday, booting six goals in Bridgewater’s thrilling two-point semi-final win over Pyramid Hill, taking his season tally to 154.
“I’d be happy not to kick another goal if it meant we won a flag,” he said after Bridgewater advanced to the grand final.
“It’s been a pretty successful club. They won seven in a row through the early 2010s, but it’s been 10 years now since they’ve won a flag. We lost last year, so a bit of redemption on that would be great.”
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Sharp has now kicked 1419 goals in his senior career and is a big chance to surpass 1500 after signing on as coach of Bridgewater for the next two years.
“When I started kicking goals at Strath, I looked at Ron Best and these guys, who kicked 1900 goals, and thought, ‘wow, that’s unachievable’. But I guess you never know what’s around the corner,” he said.
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Danny Russell is a racing writer for The Age.AdvertisementAdvertisement