Former Central Coast Mariners boss Paul Okon begged the youngster to take the time to build himself up; now he’s reaping the rewards, writes Tom Smithies.
If Lachlan Wales has proven he’s a late developer, it’s exactly how Paul Okon thought the young forward’s talent would turn out.
If success has come relatively late for the surfing winger at 24, with goals at the Olympics and in the A-League Men finals in the past 10 months, it’s built on hard work and application from a player whose determination to maximise his ability taught Okon a thing or two about coaching.
Eight years after Wales first caught the eye of the then Young Socceroos coach, he is flourishing at Western United and eyeing a league title in Saturday’s Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final – his confidence sky high after a goal in the epic defeat of Melbourne Victory last weekend.
It seems like a little bit of vindication for Okon, who inherited Wales after he quit the national team set-up to coach the Mariners and wanted him to learn as much as possible before being exposed to the harshness – physical and mental – of first team football.
Certain players become like projects for their coaches, and that explains why Wales didn’t make his Mariners first team debut until 19 and a half under a coach well aware of the damage that can happen to players who aren’t built up carefully to be ready for a career in professional football.
“As Young Socceroos coach, I was looking at (players born in) ‘95 and ‘96, and Lachie was a ’97,” Okon recalls. “Initially when I saw him he looked so raw, but he still caught my eye. I thought it was still a bit early for him, and there were boys that were a bit more bit more advanced than he was.
“Certainly I was looking at him for the next (Young Socceroos) cycle after that but then, of course, I had the opportunity to work with him at the Mariners, a lot more closely.
“We brought him in with us (to the first team) at the end of my first season with the Mariners and I think he was 19 or 20. He played NYL, but he didn’t get one of those youth pro contracts. We really weren’t in a position to give him a full time contract.
“I had the feeling that he was thinking of trying to go somewhere. But I remember that we begged him to stay because we wanted to have time with him to make him ready for that moment. We asked him to be patient, just be patient, trust us and have a full preseason with us – and then make that step.
“At the end of the season, he was training with us practically full time, but he tore his hamstring. So from a physical point of view, also, he wasn’t ready. That’s why we really wanted him to have that full preseason with us, and to his credit that’s exactly what he did. He listened and he ended up doing very, very well and on the path to bigger and better things.”
If it’s taken Wales until this point to regularly influence games, there’s every likelihood he is still learning – because Okon saw that he was constantly absorbing information, techniques and strategies from those around him.
“He’s a kid with a great attitude, a Never Say Die attitude. Probably not one of the most talented kids but certainly a very, very good footballer,” Okon said. “Someone that turns up every day to work hard, and a good attitude.
“He’s a fighter. He picks up things very, very quickly. So what we were asking of him, we were so surprised at how well he picked it up very, very quickly and he put it in into training very, very quickly. That’s a really good sign. He started to do things without us even asking him just purely by looking around at teammates and seeing what they were doing.
“That’s a real positive of Lachie. And he’s someone that you can trust, he can do a job for you. If you say to him go and play on that side, or go and play in this position, he can do it. You can trust him to do a good job. So for a coach, that’s an ideal player to having in your squad.”
As Okon ponders a return to coaching in Europe, four years after leaving the Mariners, he reveals what coaching a player like Wales has taught him.
“I learned something off him as well,” said Okon. “When you look at young players, everyone wants to look into the future. Everyone wants to know, what’s going to happen? How are they going to develop, what level are they going to get to?
“So Lachie for me was a perfect example of someone who not so naturally gifted, placed in a good environment, and was able to make those steps.
“So it becomes like a bit of a reference for you in terms of the future with other players. So, you know, from that perspective I was very, very happy to have been able to work with him to see how well he progressed, for my own personal experience as a coach.”
