Dockers ruck trio lend a hand at State 18s, 16s training

A trio of Fremantle Dockers ruckmen were on deck at WA’s under-18s and under-16s training on Thursday night, giving a helping hand to the next generation of tall timber.

Luke Jackson, Sean Darcy and Liam Reidy, who have 222 games of AFL experience between them, were a welcome addition at Subiaco Oval on Thursday, teaching the State’s most exciting young talls some ruck craft and running drills.

Centre-bounce and follow-up work were on the agenda as the likes of Cody Curtin, Benji Van Rooyen, Seb Royle and several other developing talls across the 18s and 16s programs got some important ruck lessons from some of the AFL’s best.

Jackson is a former member of the WA under-18s program, finishing runner-up in the AFL National Under-18s MVP award as the Black Swans broke a 10-year drought championship drought.

Drafted by Melbourne with pick three in the 2019 AFL National Draft, the athletic big man went on to play in the Demons’ 2021 premiership while winning the Rising Star award in the same year.

The 23-year-old has since returned home to WA to play for Fremantle and made his 100th AFL appearance earlier in the year.

The Dockers big men haven’t been the only AFL-listed players at State training this season with West Coast forward Jake Waterman a regular on Tuesday nights.

WA’s national under-18s carnival campaign gets underway against Vic Country at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday 7 June, while the 16s take on South Australia at HIF Health Insurance Oval on Saturday 21 June.