Before Brodie Merrill was the all time leader in NLL loose balls, before he became the all time leader in professional field games played, before he represented Team Canada five times, and before he became one of the best defensive players to ever play the position… he was just a young boy who loved the game… of soccer.
Brodie was born in Montreal and came to Ontario with his family as a child. While Brodie was already diving into a promising hockey career, he preferred spending the warmer months playing soccer.
Little did he know, after moving to lacrosse-crazed Orangeville, Ontario, the boys of the town would have little of that. On The Back of the Bird Podcast Friday, Brodie told a hilarious story about showing up to help work the bench gate for his brother (now San Diego Head Coach Patrick Merrill) in his soccer uniform. The players on the team chirped Brodie ruthlessly enough to never want to play soccer again.
I was really big into soccer for a few summers, and it’s funny because that carried over to Orangeville so I would play soccer and lacrosse. But I vividly remember going from a soccer game and somehow I was like working the back gate of my brother’s game in my soccer uniform, and just getting chirped. And that was my last day (of soccer) because it was such a lacrosse town.
Brodie Merrill on the Back of the Bird Podcast
Luckily for the Orangeville lacrosse community and the numerous future teams that Merrill would play for, the teasing drew him into the game rather than push him away from it.
Something good finally came from peer pressure.
Check out the rest of the episode wherever you get your podcasts or here:
Or on Youtube here: