Macrae flying high with Hawkesbury City FC
One of the most prolific marksmen in State League football over recent years has been Todd Macrae, currently plying his trade with Hawkesbury City in State League 1 after his off season transfer from Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
Todd is a classic number nine, with the strength to hold the ball up and play in his team mates, with the ability to finish clinically with right foot, left foot or head, and with a nose for being in the right place at the right time – a trait reflective of all good goal poachers.
Football NSW got up close and personal with Todd, and found out a little about what makes him tick, including where he played his football previously, career highlights, favourite players, and biggest influences on his career.
FULL NAME, PLACE AND DATE OF BIRTH, MARITAL STATUS
Todd Geoffrey Macrae, Ryde Hospital NSW, 29/08/1982
Married to my beautiful wife of 2 years, Kirsti Macrae, and we have a little daughter, Evie Macrae, who is 11 weeks old and the best thing in my life
OCCUPATION
Distribution Sales Manager, Statina Healthcare International (Medical Industry)
PREVIOUS CLUBS
Junior – Ryde RSL Rams, Wilberforce Warriors, Nepean Utd, Blacktown City,Parramatta Eagles Senior – Northern Spirit FC (NSL- 3 yrs), Bonnyrigg White Eagles (Premier League), Nepean United, Fairfield Bulls (Premier League), Canterbury Marrickville Berries (Premier League), Schofield Scorpions, Mt Pritchard, Blacktown Spartans, Mt Druitt Town Rangers
PREFERRED POSITION
Striker
CAREER HIGHLIGHT
NSL debut at age 17 for Northern Spirit FC- believe it or not I wasn’t even old enough to go out and celebrate after the match with the team!
CAREER LOWLIGHT
Put simply, injuries at key times of my career, including 4 knee surgeries
My on field career lowlight was missing a penalty in an elimination grand final qualifier penalty shootout for Northern Spirit FC Reserve Grade
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS
Northern Spirit – making my NSL Debut at age 17- at that time I was the youngest player to play 1st grade, and received an NSL medallion for playing 1st grade, as well as Grand Final Reserve Grade runners-up medal.
Schofields Scorpions – Grand Final Winners and Runners Up
Blacktown Spartans – Competition winners (Premiers), Grand final winners (Champions), Runners Up, Grand Final Man of the Match
Mt Druitt Town Rangers – Grand Final and Runners Up, 2012 State League 1 Golden Boot
HOW MANY GOALS HAVE YOU SCORED OVER THE YEARS?
I am not the type of person to keep records, and it’s difficult to source this type of data.
I love playing the game but after the fulltime whistle I am a different person, I don’t really look at the past and what happens on the field stays on the field for me.
Looking back over my career and the clubs I played for, I have roughly estimated I have scored approximately 150 competitive goals, peaking at 22 in a season twice, last year with Mt Druitt (which earned Todd the Golden Boot for SL1) and once with Mt Pritchard (where Todd was runner up for the Golden Boot).
BEST GOAL YOU’VE EVER SCORED, AND BEST YOU’VE EVER SEEN SCORED
I’m not a glamorous goal scorer, unfortunately! If you ask most of the boys I have played with over the years and teams I have played against I am a goal poacher – the 6 yard box is where I do most of my work!
I lose my defender and get in near or far post for tap ins. I have scored a lot of my goals from following up every shot my team mates make and capitalizing on deflections, keeper errors and balls off the post and crossbar.
But if I had to choose one goal, it would be my second goal in the 2011 Grand final for Blacktown Spartans. Our fullbacks were defending a corner, and the ball came to me via a long clearance high on halfway. I got the slightest of touches off my head to deceive the fullback marking me, sending the ball past him towards the goals, I then dribbled the ball from half way while fighting off the fullback tracking me. I drew the keeper out and placed the ball low and hard past him from the edge of the 18 yard box.
I have seen a lot of spectacular goals but the best I have seen in recent years would be from the same season, 2011, at Blacktown Spartans, from Tommy Spencer against Granville Rage. Tommy got a bouncing through ball down the left hand sideline, in line with the top of the 18 yard box. Now as the defence was setting themselves up for a cross, Tommy let go with a lightning bolt of a left foot volley that looked like it was missing the far post, only to curl back in, dipping before hitting the inside of the far post side netting. The poor goal keeper, Jason Holmes, didn’t stand a chance.
BEST PLAYER YOU’VE PLAYED WITH
Gabriel (Chi Chi) Mendez – he could do everything – shoot, dribble, pass, tackle, lead, and had great vision
BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON CAREER AND WHY
I’ve been fortunate enough to have two major influences in my football career.
Firstly, my parents, John Macrae and Liz Macrae.
I know it sounds cliché, but as I have become older, I have really begun to appreciate and recognise the sacrifices my parents made for me. They did everything for me, and believed in me even when I didn’t. From training to game day and every injury and recovery in between, I couldn’t have been blessed with better parents, and now that I am a father I hope to do the same
Secondly, ex-Socceroo and NSL great, Marshall Soper.
I met Marshall at an appropriate time in my career, when I had the right talent and skills in an environment with kids and teenagers, but I had never played against men. Marshall helped me with the physical side of the game, and gave me a real one on one focus that a team coach wasn’t able to. He showed me that you could have all the tricks in the world but if you couldn’t protect yourself and match it physically with your opponent then you would always come off second best. I pride myself on a lot of what Marshall taught me but mostly that you don’t have to be the biggest to be the best.
FUNNIEST THING YOU’VE SEEN, OR HAS HAPPENED TO YOU, ON THE FIELD
In the off season, I play in a summer 6-a-side competition with a few of my mates.
We have the brightest pair of fluoro pink beach soccer shorts we give out via team vote at the end of each game to whoever does the funniest thing during a game, and the recipient has to wear them for the next game. Every week when I think I have seen the funniest thing ever on a football pitch, someone manages to out do it the following week.
The funniest thing that has happened to me occurred when I was playing school soccer.
At half time I swapped with our goal keeper to give him a run on the field, and because it was a short half time break, I was actually still getting my “goalkeeper” gear on when the referee started the second half.
The opposition made a play from the kick off, and simply cut through our defence to finish with a shot on goal. I wasn’t expecting this, and was still doing up the draw string up on the keeper’s pants, that incidentally, were way too big for me. I am the worst goalie in the world but tried to make a diving save to my right, but as I went to move the pants fell down around my ankles, so I fell more so than dived, much to the amusement of my team mates and all the spectators.
FAVOURITE PLAYER, BOTH HERE AND OVERSEAS
Showing my age here as the players I idolised are now all retired!
My favourite player of all time would be Eric Cantona, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer a close second. The only player I have idolised that is still playing is Ryan Giggs.
My favourite player here in Australia is Archie Thompson of Melbourne Victory.
FAVOURITE TEAM, BOTH HERE AND OVERSEAS
Manchester United, and if I had to pick an A-League team, it would be Melbourne Victory because of Archie Thompson
SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT NO ONE WOULD KNOW
I got my first job out of high school at a retail clothing store when I tried on a shirt that turned out to be for ladies. The manager thought I was funny and gave me a job
PET HATE IN FOOTBALL
Players that lose possession of the ball and then give up. No one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes but its how quickly we react to that mistake that I feel makes the difference.
WHY DID YOU JOIN HAWKESBURY CITY?
A few reasons really. I played at Mt Druitt last season because Hugh McCrory brought me to the club, but after Hugh and the club parted ways, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.
Dean Bertenshaw gave me a call to tell me that Hawkesbury City had gained promotion to State League 1, and he would love to have me play for the club. I went down and met the boys and the rest is history. Another reason is that I grew up in the Hawkesbury and love the area. I played most of my club junior football in the Hawkesbury, and in a way I always wanted to play for the club.
WHAT ARE THE TEAM’S ASPIRATIONS IN 2013?
To gain some consistency in our play. We can be a real up and down team in our performances and we are working hard to find a level of intensity in the entire 90 minutes.
As it is the Hawks first season in State League 1 football, we are being realistic too, so we have set our sights on a top 5 finals berth.
FUNNIEST TEAM MATE & WHY?
The boys are always having a laugh at Andrew (Stevo) Stevenson, he is the team clown, every club has one, he doesn’t know how to be serious and has a great outlook on life.
Robert Carle (Bobby) is around my age so I relate to him, and I always have a laugh with him because he just comes out of no where with random comments, at times things my mates say about me. He always seems to look like he is lost, wandering around at training like he doesn’t no what’s going on, ‘Mr Casual’!
YOUNG PLAYER(S) TO LOOK OUT FOR?
We have a lot of youth in our side but players of the future that have caught my eye are Andrew Luttinger and Martin Kerr. They have started in reserve grade but have already sat on the bench for first grade this early in the season, and both have even received game time.
I think they both have good futures in the game if they keep focussed, and could be regular players in the first team, or go onto even more in higher divisions.
Kyle Trefoni is another, a young player returning from a long term knee injury, who at training is showing to be a force to reckoned with. If he can come back to 100% fitness, I think he will be a very strong addition to our defence and only strengthen our depth further.
Any coach will tell you that good strikers are worth a pot of gold to teams, because on the back of a solid team performance, it is goals that wins you games.
Coach, Dean Bertenshaw, looks like he has made a shrewd signing on behalf of his Hawkesbury City team, as he already has a solid defensive line, as well as a creative and hard working midfield.
Todd Macrae could just be that missing piece of the jigsaw that gives the fans at Bensons Lane something to cheer about in season 2013.
-By Frank Speranza
