Jackson Nelson (born 15 March 1996) is an

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...

er who played for the West Coast Eagles in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...

(AFL). He is a defender, but has played in the midfield. In his youth career he played for the Geelong Falcons, and represented Vic Country at the AFL Under 18 Championships. Nelson was drafted by West Coast with pick 51 in the 2014 national draft, and made his AFL debut in the opening round of the

2015 AFL season The 2015 AFL season was the 119th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured eigh ...

. As at the end of 2022 he had played 102 games for the club.

Junior career

Nelson played junior football for St Mary's. He later represented the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup, where he played 12 matches while averaging 20 disposals. In 2014, he played for Vic Country at the AFL Under 18 Championships, averaging four tackles and 12 disposals in six matches. Nelson was drafted by West Coast with pick 51 in the 2014 national draft.

AFL career

Nelson made his AFL debut in the opening round of the

after impressing coach

Adam Simpson Adam Simpson (born 16 February 1976) is a former Australian rules footballer who is the current premiership coach of the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). A left-footed midfielder, his playing career for spanned from ...

during the

NAB Challenge In the Australian Football League (AFL), previously the Victorian Football League (VFL), the pre-season competition, known during its history by a variety of sponsored names and most recently as the NAB Cup, was an annual Australian rules foot ...

. He played 11 games for West Coast in 2015 and nine with West Australian Football League (WAFL) affiliate East Perth. Nelson played the first four rounds of the

2016 AFL season The 2016 AFL season was the 120th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured e ...

before being dropped to the WAFL. He responded with a strong performance against

Swan Districts The Swan Districts Football Club, nicknamed the Swans, is an Australian rules football club playing in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) and WAFL Women's (WAFLW). The club is based at Bassendean Oval, in Bassendean, an eastern suburb ...

, playing a midfield role rather than defence. He amassed 29 touches, six tackles, seven marks and six inside-50s. Nelson finished the year with eight matches in the AFL and the WAFL. He strung five matches together at the start of the

2017 AFL season The 2017 AFL season was the 121st season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, before breaking his wrist in the second quarter of a loss to

Hawthorn Hawthorn or Hawthorns may refer to: Plants * '' Crataegus'' (hawthorn), a large genus of shrubs and trees in the family Rosaceae * ''Rhaphiolepis'' (hawthorn), a genus of about 15 species of evergreen shrubs and small trees in the family Rosace ...

. Despite the injury, Nelson recorded five tackles and 17 possessions after carrying on the match. He missed three weeks of football, although he continued running in training, and returned with a 15-disposal, one-goal effort for East Perth. In July, Nelson extended his contract by two years (until 2019). He played 13 AFL matches and two WAFL matches for the year, polling one vote in East Perth's best and fairest. In 2018, Nelson played 10 AFL matches but missed the grand final. He played nine games in the WAFL, including a match against Perth in which he was reported for striking Cody Ninyette. Nelson received a one-match suspension. At the end of the 2022 season, Nelson was informed that he will not be offered a contract for 2023.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Jackson 1996 births Living people West Coast Eagles players Geelong Falcons players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) East Perth Football Club players West Coast Eagles (WAFL) players