THE BIGGEST test of Lachie Schultz's business venture happened in front of 90,000 fans at the MCG earlier this season.

Collingwood teammate Steele Sidebottom, like a number of Magpies players, was trialling a sample pair of performance underpants designed by Schultz and former teammate Darcy Tucker when his shorts were pulled down in a contest at the top of the goal square against Essendon on Anzac Day.

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The dual premiership veteran was smart enough to play on and kick a goal, but he wouldn't have been the only player embarrassed if the sample underpants – which were still being perfected – had failed their test and not stayed up.

They didn't budge, and Schultz and Tucker have gone on to launch the brand Peaked, which aims to fill a gap in the market for athlete underwear that the pair identified back in 2020.

The result of more than five years of designing, testing, surveying AFL players and then trialling in AFL matches, Schultz and Tucker had all the evidence they needed that their product would hold up on the big stage.

"He was just standing there in his jocks with his pants around his ankles, and he was actually wearing a pair of Peaked," Schultz told AFL.com.au this week.

"You can only sort of see half of the band with the branding on it, but if you know the Peaked logo then you'll know it's them.

"It was a trial pair on the big stage, and even though he got dacked they stayed up, so we were pretty happy. They passed [that test] in front of nearly 100,000 (people)."

Schultz and Tucker have supplied their new product to current and former teammates across the competition, with several Fremantle players wearing them almost six years after the idea was born in the club's Queensland hub during the 2020 pandemic.

As a pair of young players looking to fill time, Schultz and Tucker quizzed their teammates about what underwear they wore for games, realising everyone had similar issues.

Players wore a mix of swimwear, regular underwear or compression gear, but no one had an option that provided comfort, breathability, support and performance. Schultz and Tucker decided to create a solution themselves.

"Spending so much time with each other, and almost too much time, you start talking about weird things like what underwear you wear when you're playing and training, and that's how it all started," Schultz said.

"When we got back from Queensland we said 'let's get the ball rolling', and we drew some sketches and made a couple of brand names and stuff like that, but it fizzled out.

"Darcy ended up getting a trade to North Melbourne and our lives just went in a different direction for a little while.

"But then when I got a trade to Collingwood, being best mates we caught up all the time and we thought we've still got the same sort of troubles, so let's actually have a crack.

"We found the (original) sketchbook the other day, and it was funny reminiscing over it and looking at the brand names and all the ideas we had. We've come a long way, and it was very funny to look back at where it started."

Schultz and Tucker first crossed paths as under-12s opponents and continued to play against each other up to under-18s level when Tucker was drafted to Fremantle at the end of 2015. Schultz joined him at the Dockers at the end of 2018, playing 90 games for the club before crossing to Collingwood at the end of 2023.

Some of the duo's best mates remain in purple, with star forward Josh Treacy providing plenty of support in the business venture and distributing the product to players including Alex Pearce, Andrew Brayshaw, Brennan Cox and Luke Ryan, who all wear it.

Watching his former club's rise this year has been enjoyable for Schultz, who returned to Victoria for family reasons and has played some of his most consistent football for the Magpies over the past two seasons.

"I've been asked it a little bit lately, but a lot of those boys are still my best mates that I speak to every week or every day, and seeing them perform like they are as a team is really fulfilling," Schultz said.

"Seeing them all play really good footy is the part that I enjoy and I'm just happy for them.

"At the same time, our season is still well and truly alive. So I'm looking forward to a really big final series and hopefully we can come up against them along the way somewhere."

Football aside, life for Schultz now is as busy as ever, with the hard-working forward launching his business with Tucker shortly after the arrival of his first child, Archie, with fiancée Maddie.

The 28-year-old is juggling multiple responsibilities as a new dad, business partner and an AFL player, but said he has never been happier.

His busiest days involve arriving at the KGM Centre for training at around 7am, heading straight to the Peaked factory in the afternoon to pack orders, take meetings and work on the business, before heading home to jump straight into dad life.

"It's busy, but it's good in terms of having a balanced life and being able to put energy everywhere I go and enjoy everything I'm doing," Schultz said.

"Obviously, I'm loving my footy and loving being at Collingwood. We have a really exciting period coming up as we come into finals.

"And then home life couldn't be better. Having a little boy, Archie, and settling into dad life now has been the best thing that's ever happened to me.

"Everyone always tells you about how good it is becoming a dad, but you just can't explain it until it happens to you. And Maddie, my partner, she's absolutely killing it. So everything's going really well and so happy with where everything's at."

On the field, Schultz approaches his job as an AFL player with similar gratitude after moving from NSW border town Moama to Melbourne as a teenager and fighting for his AFL chance with Williamstown in the VFL.

A qualified plumber before he started his AFL career, he has a blue-collar approach to the game and ranks No.3 at Collingwood for goals kicked this season (24) and No.1 in the AFL for tackles inside 50 (44).

His busy life in 2026 has played a role in his consistency, with fatherhood helping him realise quickly that there is no room anymore for stewing on little mistakes or poor performances.

"Life comes at you fast and you've always got something else on your plate, whether it's the business or being a dad," Schultz said.

"After my first game back after Archie was born, we lost to Geelong and I got home and as soon as I opened the door, it was game on. I was back into dad duties, and it was the best thing in the world.

"In the past, I would have dwelled on the game and replayed it over in my head a thousand times and thought about all the mistakes I made.

"But that's been the biggest change, just being able to come home, reset and get ready to go again. Win, lose or draw, good performance or bad performance, I move on a lot quicker than I would have in the past."

AFL Connect is the AFL's business-to-business membership and networking platform, allowing members to to connect and engage with the 1000-plus businesses within the AFL ecosystem and generate tangible business outcomes. To learn more, go to connect.afl.