Couple decide to induce birth so star can play
Mark Stevens | September 01, 2009 12:00am
DOCTORS will on Wednesday induce the birth of Western Bulldog Brian Lake's girl, ensuring the star full-back will be available for the finals. Lake said he was looking forward to confronting Geelong at the MCG on Saturday and then welcoming the latest addition to his family home for Father's Day.
"I'm excited, but there's a bit of nerves as well," he said.
Lake's fiancee, Shannon O'Malley, was due to give birth on September 16, but after consultation with doctors the pair agreed to bring the birth at Freemason's Hospital forward.
"We had a baby boy Cohen born in 2007 two weeks premature, which didn't worry us because it was around Christmas time," Lake said.
"But with finals, and wanting to have Shannon's and my parents over, we thought it was a lot easier to do it a couple of weeks early and the doctor said it was fine.
"Obviously the idea was to do it mid-week because with footy finals I didn't want to be worried about it around Saturday or Sunday."
Lake and O'Malley, set to marry on New Year's Eve in Adelaide, found out the sex of the child several months ago.
"We wanted a girl and we wanted to get it out of the way and find out," Lake said.
The newborn will be O'Malley's third child, with one-year-old Cohen and eight-year-old Bailee looking forward to the next arrival.
Lake, 27, is on track for All-Australian selection and is one of the hottest footy stars.
He believes impending fatherhood has a positive impact on his performance.
"All through 2007, Shannon was pregnant and I ended up winning the best and fairest," Lake said.
"Now, with another baby coming, I'm playing footy as well. I might have to keep having kids."
Lake is out of contract at the end of the season and rival clubs are circling in the hope of luring him.
In 2000, Brisbane Lions star Daniel Bradshaw missed an MCG elimination final to be at the birth of his first child. The Lions lost.
Three years ago, Sydney Swan Darren Jolly vowed to miss the Grand Final to be at his pregnant wife's side but was spared the decision when his daughter arrived 48 hours before the bounce