“They look after me very well and make sure that things on and off the pitch when I go home that I am doing all the right things, including all the little things like taking my dog for a walk and making sure that my legs are always moving and always keeping myself active,” he said.

And yes, the dog. That dog, named Simba, is an 18-month-old German Shepherd that he picked up while playing for Hibernian, and Maclaren loves having Simba home after the routine six-month quarantine interval after he returned to Australia as yet another calming influence that blends into his game.

Moreover, Maclaren cites the selfless dedication of his girlfriend Iva – who stayed behind in Scotland to administer Simba’s required injections and veterinary visits – in looking after Simba overseas as a mark of great respect in a human being and an animal, and his relationships with both of them.

“She had to sit [in Edinburgh] by herself, and she had a great support network around here, apart from my aunt and uncle, and do everything with this dog, which is great,” he said.

As for Simba – who he admits “barks with an accent and has his own passport” – Maclaren adds: “He’s adjusting well, too. He’s starting to swim, which is what he’s going to have to do in Australia because it can be a bit hot.”

Maclaren, Iva, and Simba all now reside in Coburg, in Melbourne’s northern suburbs, a community that Maclaren ranks favorably with his upbringing in Sunbury for domestic experiences and melting-pot qualities alike.

“I grew up in Sunbury, which was relatively quiet then, but has grown massively in the way of population and infrastructure in recent years,” he says. “And now I feel lucky that I am in a position that I can go back and visit Sunbury whenever I want.

“I live in Coburg now. It’s nice to be closer to training and closer to home, close to the stadium and close to the restaurants, shops and cafes, and being able to walk my dog without having to be bitten by a snake or to chase kangaroos.

“Both of my parents are naturalised Australians – my mother is from Malta and my father was born in Scotland. The older I’m getting, you see regions such as Keilor Downs and Sunbury and Coburg having a lot of multicultural communities forming,” he adds.

“That’s what’s great about Melbourne – you have the Turkish side, and you have the Middle Eastern, and the Greeks, the Italians, and the Maltese. Sure, they do have their own pockets, but they do mix, and it’s so great to see that, even if Scotland and Malta are [geographically] nowhere close to each other.”

Having the familiar combinations of career, culture, and home comforts that being in Melbourne has helped Maclaren settle in quite nicely at Melbourne City and AAMI Park, as well as at home in Coburg, training in Bundoora, or being able to see family and friends in Sunbury.

“This is my homecoming,” he says.

“When I was playing in Brisbane and Perth, and used to come to Melbourne [to play against Victory or City], I was always bombarded with messages asking me for tickets. Now I am able to call Melbourne my home, again, and be able to give back to a city that made me, in a way. And that makes me proud to be a Melbourne boy.

“I do love being here."

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