The running machine who runs 2kms before every game

Oakleigh and Caulfield Grammar winger Pat Retschko is renowned for having one of the best tanks among 2024 AFL Draft prospects.

The Vic Metro representative and former track athlete runs up to 15 kilometres per game, and, unbelievably, another two kilometres before the siren.

It equates to about four laps of the oval while his teammates and opponents are listening to pump-up tunes, stretching and taking shots for goal before the structured warm-up kicks in.

The running ritual is a regular source of confusion for onlookers; many who are unaware expect him to be a late omission.

“It’s been something I’ve carried on since under-12s,” Retschko said.

“It comes from my athletics background where it felt weird playing and not being fully warmed up when you’re usually running an 800m or 400m beforehand (in athletics) so it was something I decided to naturally include and from there onwards it was about feeling warm for each game.

“Eventually it was about finding a balance for high intensity endurance training.

“It’s about getting warm and feeling comfortable before each game and being mentally ready.

“I feel like I go out there physically and mentally prepared - you start and you’re ready to go. “It gets me in the zone - it’s eight to 10 minutes you can have to yourself and lock in before each game.

“I want to find a rhythm and get to self assess before a game in terms of areas I want to focus on but a lot of the time it’s getting out there and shaking off the nerves and at the same time getting physically prepared.”

[Watch the FULL INTERVIEW with Pat Retschko HERE]

Retschko’s two-kilometre personal best is 5.30, which he achieved prior to putting muscle on and focussing solely on footy.

He ran a 5:52 in Oakleigh’s preseason, the only Chargers player to break the six-minute barrier.

Retschko’s work rate is a strength; his willingness to run defensively, get multiple possessions in a chain and discipline to hold his width all eyecatching.

Keen to be a “footballing runner rather than a running footballer”, his grounding in running has taken him all the way to overseas meets, winning an under-13s national 800-metres title and Pan-Pacifics Medal as an 11-year-old.

“The training is the closest you’ll get to a professional outset in terms of being a junior,” Retschko said.

“Training six to seven times a week and sticking to a strict plan so you get results and a lot of it is about applying yourself in training camps.

“I’ve been to Falls Creek a few times and it’s hard gut running and a lot of it is applicable to the football field in terms of fourth quarter running and work rate you really can’t get unless you put the hard yards in.”

Retschko has earned a state combine invite, following three solid games for Vic Metro in the national championships and his reliability at Oakleigh and Caulfield Grammar.

Durability has been another key part of Retschko’s season, his preference to play resulting in him playing 16 consecutive games through the middle part of the year, for Oakleigh, Caulfield Grammar and Vic Metro.

That willingness came unstuck two years ago when he ruptured his ACL and MCL in a game he was recommended to rest following a swimming carnival.

While frustrating, the period encouraged him to focus solely on one sport, with his training since tailored to footy.

Well-regarded high-performance coach Andrew Russell and Carlton exercise and sports physiotherapist Will Tardif oversaw Retschko’s recovery, which took place in 2022-23.

A 41-disposal game on Talent League debut late in 2023 following strong form for Caulfield Grammar put his name high in a stacked Chargers’ pecking order entering his top-aged campaign.

The teenager will be keen to replicate that late-season form in 2024 as Oakleigh look set to challenge in September, bolstered by the return of APS and AGSV players.