Jack Darling

Jack Darling
Personal information
Full nameJack Darling
Date of birth13 June 1992
Original teamWest Perth (WAFL)
Draft26th pick, 2010 National Draft
Height/Weight191 cm / 87 kg
Position(s)Forward
Club information
Current clubWest Coast
Number27
Playing career1
YearsClubGames (Goals)
2011–West Coast90 (158)
1 Playing statistics correct to end of 2014 season.
Career highlights

Jack Darling (born 13 June 1992) is an Australian rules footballer currently listed with the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was recruited from West Perth in the WAFL with pick 26 in the 2010 AFL Draft.[1]

Junior career

Too young to enter the 2009 AFL Draft, he was predicted during the 2009 season to be a top-five draft pick, but some off-field incidents, including being suspended from his school and spending time in hospital following a fight at a nightclub, saw him slip to be the first selection of the second round in the 2010 Draft.[2]

AFL career

Darling made his AFL debut for West Coast against North Melbourne in round 1, 2011, kicking 2 goals.

In round 6, Darling was nominated for the 2011 AFL Rising Star after an impressive 3 goal display against Melbourne.[3]

Playing style

Whilst Darling predominantly played in the forward line early in his career, from 2014 onwards, he enjoyed stints in the midfield where he prospered in a tall half-forward role.[4]

As a forward, Darling is renowned for his tackling pressure and goal sense. He often creates unlikely goal-scoring opportunities through his unrelenting pursuit of opposition defenders in possession of the ball. His athleticism and endurance allow him to regularly find space from his opponents throughout the course of a game, and he continually strives to make himself a viable marking target inside his team's forward 50. He is just as effective on the ground as he is in the air. Darling has a black belt in martial arts and taekwondo,[5] and often performs rapid lunges to propel himself from the ground using his hips and torso. His father, David, teaches martial arts as a discipline in Perth.[5]

Jack Darling continues to attract comparisons to AFL greats Wayne Carey and Jonathan Brown (Australian rules footballer).[6] By the time he was in his third season, with seven rounds remaining until the end of the season, Darling had played 62 games for the Eagles. In that time, he had kicked 112 goals, taken 304 marks and an astounding 205 tackles. Carey, by comparison, had played 59 games in his first four seasons for North Melbourne, having played just four in his debut year 1989. In those games, Carey kicked 112 goals, took 353 marks and laid just 58 tackles. Jonathan Brown played 57 games in his first three seasons with the Brisbane Lions and won two premierships. He kicked 57 goals in that period, took 301 marks and laid 62 tackles.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Washbourne, Michael (24 November 2010). "West Coast recruit Jack Darling tells critics to back off". Herald Sun. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  2. ↑ Quayle, Emma (17 November 2010). "Jack's not every club's Darling". The Age. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
  3. ↑ Holmesby, Luke. "Sweet Darling". afl.com.au. Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  4. ↑ Hagdorn, Kim (16 February 2014). "West Coast’s Jack Darling set for midfield stint in NAB derby showdown". Herald Sun. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Anderson, Jon (14 September 2012). "Eagle Jack Darling one of the great draft mysteries after slipping through net to pick 26". Adelaide Now. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Malcolm, Alex (2014). "Young Eagle flying like giants". afl.com.au. Retrieved 14 April 2014.

External links