AFL Draft 2024: Lucca Grego excited to join Bacchus Marsh product Liam Duggan at West Coast

It seemed almost destiny that Lucca Grego would land at West Coast considering he has so much in common with one of their co-captains Liam Duggan. Grego was selected with pick No.48 in the draft by the Eagles after a strong year for both Vic Metro and the Western Jets where he is the skipper. And it’s fellow Bacchus Marsh-product Duggan who he is looking to link up with when he heads west. “The hometown hero from Bacchus Marsh here is Liam Duggan ... I’m really looking forward to seeing him again. I used to play at the same junior club as him,” Grego said. The hometown isn’t the only similarity though with both being smart footballers who are strong one on one and make excellent decisions as well as excellent leadership qualities. “I want to be a hard-working teammate who will do absolutely anything for my teammates,” he said. “I am looking forward to coming over, meeting the boys and being part of that West Coast culture. They have a huge, huge fan base and I can’t wait to get stuck in with the boys.” Grego averaged 23 disposals (8.5 contested) and kicked seven goals in 13 matches for the Western Jets, a remarkable feat considering he didn’t take up playing football until five years ago. Having previously lived in Queensland, Grego predominantly played rugby league but was encouraged by his grandfather to give Australian Rules a go. “I moved to Victoria about seven years ago and gave up rugby league to start playing footy about five years ago,” he said. “My family is from Victoria and my grandfather was big into his football. Player for South Melbourne and Footscray back in the day in their under-19 side. He told me to give it a go, I picked up a footy, had a bit of fun and fell in love with it. “Speed and agility — you’ve got to evade those bigger bodies that want to kill you as a little man on a rugby league field. So evading and working your way through traffic.”