Luke Jackson (footballer)
Luke Jackson (born 29 September 2001) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Melbourne Demons in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited by the Melbourne Demons with the 3rd draft pick in the 2019 AFL draft. Early basketball. In 2018, Jackson represented Australia at the Under-17 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Argentina and won gold at the Under-16 FIBA Asia Championship in China. He was named in the all-tournament team for the U16 Asian Championship. The AIS basketball program was keen for him to move to Canberra in 2019 and begin a  pathway which could have led him to college in the United States. Early football. Jackson represented Western Australia at the AFL Under 18 Championships for two seasons, where he ended up winning under-18 All Australian selection. He also played for the East Fremantle Sharks for the 2019 season in the colts division. AFL career. Jackson debuted in the Demons' one-point win over the Carlton Blues in the second round of the 2020 AFL season. He collected 7 disposals, 1 behind and 1 tackle. After being omitted for the next 3 rounds, Jackson re-entered the team in Round 7 . He won the Rising Star nomination for Round 10. In that game he kicked 2 goals, including the opening goal. On top of that, he also collected 8 disposals, 14 hitouts and 2 marks. At the conclusion of the year he took out the Harold Ball Memorial Trophy, an award given to the best young talent for the Melbourne Demons. Jackson re-signed for a two year contract extension with the club at the end of the year, keeping him at the club until 2022. He became part of a select-few players in the AFL to receive two Rising  Star nominations in their careers after he received a nomination for his 22 disposal, 1 goal performance in Round 7 of the 2021 AFL season. Statistics. ! text-align:center class="sortbottom" | Career ! 36 ! 23 ! 13 ! 155 ! 281 ! 436 ! 101 ! 67 ! 336 ! 0.6 ! 0.4 ! 4.3 ! 7.8 ! 12.1 ! 2.8 ! 1.9 ! 9.3 ! 3 Honours and achievements. Team Individual