MELBOURNE ruckman/forward Luke Jackson has become the third player this season to be nominated twice for the NAB AFL Rising Star.
Jackson was instrumental in the Demons' come-from-behind win over North Melbourne in Hobart on Sunday, picking up a career-high 22 disposals and kicking a goal.
He joins Port Adelaide's Mitch Georgiades and Adelaide's Lachie Sholl this year in being nominated a second time for the prestigious award.
RISING STARS Check out who has been nominated
Jackson, who was taken with pick No.3 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft, was previously nominated in round 10 last year.
After playing six games in his debut season, the 19-year-old has featured in all seven games in 2021.
Prior to his football career, Jackson had a promising junior basketball career representing Australia at Under-17 level at the basketball World Cup in 2018 in Argentina where he was Australia's best player before he decided to focus purely on football.
Jackson started his junior footy with Bullcreek Leeming Junior Football Club in Western Australia before joining East Fremantle in the WAFL where he averaged 32.6 hitouts per game in 2019.
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He was selected to represent WA at the 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 National Championships where he dominated centre bounces and stoppages averaging more than 14 disposals (11 contested), 37 hitouts, five clearances and three tackles. He won 2019 NAB AFL Under-18 All-Australian honours and finished runner-up in the Larke Medal awarded to the national championships best and fairest.
Jackson became the highest ruckman picked in the national draft since Nic Naitanui when he was selected by Melbourne with the third pick.
PLAYERS NOMINATED TWICE
- Duncan Kellaway – Richmond (R15, 1993 & R24, 1994)
- Craig Callaghan – Fremantle (R16, 1995 & R22, 1996)
- Michael Braun – West Coast (R14, 1997 & R1, 1998)
- Luke Power – Brisbane (R2, 1998 & R17, 1999)
- Nathan Jones – Melbourne (R20, 2006 & R17, 2007)
- Mark LeCras – West Coast (R22, 2006 & R20, 2007)
- Michael Hurley – Essendon (R20, 2009 & R18, 2010)
- Jordan Gysberts – Melbourne (R11, 2011 & R11, 2012)
- Sam Blease – Melbourne (R23, 2011 & R20, 2012)
- Orazio Fantasia – Essendon (R23, 2015 & R17, 2016)
- Alex Witherden – Brisbane (R17, 2017 & R9 2020)
- Lachie Sholl – Adelaide (R18, 2020 & R4, 2021)
- Mitch Georgiades – Port Adelaide (R9, 2020 & R5 2021)
- Luke Jackson – Melbourne (R10, 2020 & R7, 2021)