COUNTRYFOOTYSCORES.COM

"Laaadeeey!" the Bulls' supporters roared, when the former Port Adelaide ruckman took one particularly spectacular mark early in the third quarter of the home game against Chelsea. Although Lade missed that shot at goal, he made up for it by finishing with six and helping his new team to its second win of the Peninsula League season.

The two-time All-Australian found his way to Karingal - down Frankston way - thanks to his friendship with the Bulls' favourite son, former St Kilda defender Justin Peckett. They first met in 2008, when Peckett was spending time at Port Adelaide as part of his new career with leadership consulting group Leading Teams. This year, both are working under Damien Hardwick at Richmond.

A former teammate of Hardwick, Lade is the full-time ruck/midfield coach, while Peckett has been contracted by the Tigers to help change the club's culture. It's an enormous challenge, but as with the rest of his life, Peckett is approaching the task with plenty of optimism.

''We can potentially set up the club's culture for the next 20, 30, 40 years,'' he said. ''The only way is up, really. It's a new group. The players are young, the coaches are young and fresh and eager. It's a great opportunity.''

At the age of 37, Peckett would be excused by the Karingal faithful if he wanted to focus only on his work and family. A father of seven, he has little spare time, but as he happily admits, he just loves playing footy.

''I love going to training, having a kick,'' Peckett explained with a grin. ''I've played footy all my life. I'm known as a footy player. It's my identity. And I love the local football club atmosphere, so it's hard to give it up.

''Probably for the last four years of my AFL career I kept saying 'I'll just play this year and see what happens'. Now it's one week at a time here, because my body's falling apart.

''I played the first three practice games and I was flying through that stage. Then in round one, five minutes in, I had to put my hand up as I was tight in the hammies. Then I couldn't play in round two. For me, right now, it is absolutely week by week. If I get another injury I'm just going to leave my boots in the middle of the ground and that'll be it.''

After retiring from elite football, Peckett coached Karingal for three seasons, during which time he focused on developing the club's youth. It meant the Bulls missed the finals in 2008 and '09, but now have one of the best groups of young guns on the Mornington Peninsula.

Having handed over the senior coaching position to 23-year-old midfielder Brendan Dunne, Peckett knew a couple of experienced, big-bodied recruits were needed if Karingal was to climb into the top five this season. So when he began at Richmond, he sounded out Lade straight away.

''I asked him and he had a bit of a laugh, bit of a giggle,'' Peckett recalled. ''He didn't think I was serious until I insisted I was fair dinkum. A couple of weeks later, he goes 'yeah, I'll come down for a kick'. It's good for me to have someone who's over 30 in the team. It used to be me and all the 20-year-olds.''

Peckett even had a quiet word in the ear of Justin Leppitsch, another ex-AFL star who is working at Richmond.

''I've asked him a couple of times, only mucking around, in the hope that he might do it. It doesn't look like I'll get him over the line.''

Given his commitments with the Tigers, Lade will only play 10 or 12 games for Karingal this year, however he's already had a big impact. In the opening round, he booted four goals as the Bulls beat Langwarrin, although a trip to Perth with Richmond led to him missing the round-two loss to Frankston YCW.

Eight days ago, Lade was wearing Karingal's red-and-white strip once more as the Bulls hosted Chelsea. With stubble on his chin, no product in his hair and black boots on his sizeable feet, he resembled a bush footballer of days gone by, as he towered over his young opponent in the goal square.

''I don't get outside the 50 any more mate,'' the 33-year-old had joked before the game.

Yet Lade was all class whenever the ball came his way. When Karingal was kicking into a howling gale in the second quarter, he twice had shots at goal from deep in the pockets.

On both occasions, his kicks went straight through. ''He's got unbelievable skills,'' Peckett marvelled later.

Having grown up playing bush footy on Kangaroo Island, Lade is enjoying every moment of his return to the grassroots game. ''I can eat what I want, drink what I want, when I want. It's a good change. It's just good to be involved with footy clubs. There's no other workplace like it.''

The lifestyle change means Lade has added a few kilograms to his midriff in recent months, something opposition supporters have let him know about. Last weekend a young lad from Chelsea yelled out: ''Eat some salad, Lade!''

The sledge brought only a smile to Lade's face, and he continued to dominate the game as the Bulls coasted to a 38-point win. After the final siren, the players were cheered off the field by the many Karingal barrackers standing on the grassy hill in front of the social room.

''We get massive crowds here, especially for the Seaford and Langwarrin games,'' Peckett said. ''When we go to away games, our supporters often outnumber the home side.''

Richmond's trip to Adelaide meant Karingal yesterday took on Edithvale-Aspendale without its star recruit.

Yet given the Tigers won't be up to much in September, if the Bulls can make the finals, Lade's likely to play a big role in the club's campaign to win its first senior flag since 1999.

''There's an expectation from everyone here that we can finish in the five,'' Peckett said.

''But that's OK. If there was no expectation we'd be in trouble.''

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, April 9th 2010