Jack Macrae
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Jackson Macrae (born 3 August 1994) is a professional
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 Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...
er playing for the
St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fro ...
in the
Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...
(AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs Football Club. At tall and , He plays as a ball-winning
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
who can play on the inside or as a running outside midfielder. He grew up in
Kew, Victoria Kew () is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, found 5 km east from Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District. Kew is located within the City of Boroondara Local government areas of ...
while attending
Carey Baptist Grammar School Carey Baptist Grammar School, commonly known as Carey, is an private school, independent, co-educational, Baptists, Baptist day school in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The school has five campuses: Kew, Victoria, Kew (ELC to Year ...
, where he won the
best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
award while playing for their top team. He played top-level junior football with the
Oakleigh Chargers The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club playing in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the ...
in the
NAB League The Talent League (also known as the Coates Hire, Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the National Australia Bank, NAB League and Transport Accident Commission, TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representa ...
and Vic Metro in the AFL Under 18 Championships. He previously played for the
Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...
from 2013 to 2024 and was in the 2016 premiership team. Macrae was drafted with the sixth selection in the
2012 AFL draft The 2012 AFL draft consisted of five opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2012/13 Australian Football League off-season. These were: *2012 trade period; which was held between 1 October and 26 October, and for the first time incorp ...
. He made his debut the following year in 2013. He received a nomination for the 2013 AFL Rising Star award in round 8 of the 2013 season. Since then, he has been an AFL Premiership player, three-time All-Australian midfielder, three-time Doug Hawkins Medallist, two-time Gary Dempsey Medallist and a Gary Ayres Medallist. He has polled a total of 106
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...
votes in his career, and holds the all-time league record for most disposals in a season.


Early life and career

Macrae is the second son to father David and mother Rosie. He was a Hawthorn supporter growing up. He played junior football for the Kew Rovers in the
Yarra Junior Football League The Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL) is the largest junior Australian rules football competition in Australia. The league has a total of 30 clubs, who are based around northern, eastern and north-eastern Melbourne, Victoria, Melbourne. There is ...
. Macrae attended secondary school at
Carey Baptist Grammar School Carey Baptist Grammar School, commonly known as Carey, is an private school, independent, co-educational, Baptists, Baptist day school in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The school has five campuses: Kew, Victoria, Kew (ELC to Year ...
, with future AFL players such as
Jack Viney Jack Viney (born 13 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A midfielder, tall and weighing , Viney is capable of contributing as both an inside ...
and Nathan Hrovat. Macrae was not selected to play for the
Oakleigh Chargers The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club playing in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the ...
in his bottom age year, meaning he had to continue playing school football. After having flown under the radar, excitement grew around Macrae after he began to rapidly improve. He hired former player Ian Aitken to improve his kicking technique after he completed Year 11, which he said helped him become a 'more damaging kick'. While playing for his school,
Carey Baptist Grammar School Carey Baptist Grammar School, commonly known as Carey, is an private school, independent, co-educational, Baptists, Baptist day school in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. The school has five campuses: Kew, Victoria, Kew (ELC to Year ...
, he was coached by former North Melbourne player David King; under his guidance Macrae won the
best and fairest In Australian sport, the best and fairest award recognises the player(s) adjudged to have had the best performance in a game or over a season for a given sporting club or competition. The awards are sometimes dependent on not receiving a suspensi ...
for the team despite being around 4 future AFL draftees. Macrae was selected to play for the
Oakleigh Chargers The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club playing in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the ...
in the
NAB League The Talent League (also known as the Coates Hire, Coates Talent League under naming rights and previously as the National Australia Bank, NAB League and Transport Accident Commission, TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representa ...
in 2012, and quickly became an integral part of their team. While playing for the Chargers, Macrae averaged 24.5 disposals, 15.7 kicks, 8.8 handballs, 5.2 marks and 2.1 tackles out of his 12 games with the Chargers. Becoming one of the Chargers' best junior finals players, he was named as one of the team's
best on ground Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
in multiple finals. In Oakleigh's 46-point semi-finals win against the
Dandenong Stingrays The Dandenong Southern Stingrays are an Australian rules football team in the Talent League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. 1992 saw the birth of the Southern Stingrays, developed under the leadership of Steve Kennedy (Regiona ...
in September 2012, he was named as one of the team's best players that game. He was then named
best on ground Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
in the Chargers' 83-point preliminary final demolition of the
North Ballarat Rebels The Greater Western Victoria Rebels is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Talent League, the statewide under-18s competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They recruit players from the Ballarat, Wimmera and Sou ...
, where he kicked 3 goals. Finally, he was named as the most valuable player in the team's thrilling 1-point victory over the
Gippsland Power The Gippsland Power is an Australian rules football team in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria, Australia. Honours *Premierships (1): 2005 *Runners-up (3): 1999, 2010, 2012 *Minor Premiers (3): 2005, 2007, 2 ...
in the grand final, where he kicked a crucial behind to secure the team's premiership trophy. He was named as the
Oakleigh Chargers The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club playing in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the ...
' best finals player, after averaging 28 disposals a game during the finals series, and came third in the club's best and fairest count with 68 votes, 15 votes away from obtaining first place. He was also selected to play for Vic Metro in the AFL Under 18 Championships, where he played every game. He cemented his reputation as a dangerous player and boosted his draft chances after a six-goal game against Tasmania, including four goals in one quarter, claiming the best on ground title for that match. He averaged 19.4 disposals a game, at a 78.4% efficiency rate. Despite his consistent performances, he missed out on making the Under 18 All Australian team. Macrae was predicted to be taken anywhere in the
2012 AFL draft The 2012 AFL draft consisted of five opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2012/13 Australian Football League off-season. These were: *2012 trade period; which was held between 1 October and 26 October, and for the first time incorp ...
between pick 6 and pick 13. He was recruited to the Bulldogs with the sixth selection in the
2012 AFL Draft The 2012 AFL draft consisted of five opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2012/13 Australian Football League off-season. These were: *2012 trade period; which was held between 1 October and 26 October, and for the first time incorp ...
, one pick behind future premiership forward
Jake Stringer Jake Stringer (born 25 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2013 to 2017 and for the E ...
.


AFL career


2013–2015: Early career

Before debut, Macrae gained muscle and improved his fitness in order to improve his chances of selection, stating "You have to earn your right to play senior footy and first of all you have got to train well and prepare well." Macrae made his debut for the in Round 4 of the
2013 AFL season The 2013 AFL season was the 117th 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 eig ...
against
Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
. On his debut, Macrae kicked his first goal, and also collected 16 disposals, 4 tackles and 3 clearances. Macrae was awarded the round 8 nomination for the 2013 AFL Rising Star after collecting 26 disposals, 5 marks and 4 tackles in the ' 32-point defeat to . Macrae had one of his best games for the season in the ' round thirteen 60-point loss to , collecting a season best 27 disposals, as well as 3 marks, a tackle and three clearances. Despite being one of the youngest players in the match, Macrae was named as one of the Bulldogs' best on ground. In August of the 2013 season, Macrae signed a 3-year contract extension, keeping him at the Bulldogs until 2016. At the conclusion of the season, Macrae was presented with the Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award, after averaging 17.92 disposals throughout his 13 games that season. Macrae's 2014 season was one of the best seasons by a second-year player in history, in contrast to the Bulldogs' mediocre 14th place season. Becoming a key part of the new Bulldogs' midfield, he recorded 25 or more disposals 15 times. Macrae started out the season with an impressive performance that saw him named best on ground in the ' 65-point loss to . He gathered 31 disposals, breaking his personal best from the 2013 season, and also got 2 goals, 7 marks and 3 tackles. Just two rounds later, Macrae was again named best on ground in the team's 2-point win over . He collected 30 disposals, 1 goal, 9 marks and 6 tackles. Macrae stamped his mark on the AFL in the ' 28-point victory against in Round 17, becoming the youngest player to record 40 or more disposals in a game. Macrae gathered 43 disposals while kicking 2 goals, taking 6 marks and 5 tackles. Macrae was named best on ground, and received lots of praise for his effort. He followed up his incredible performance with another solid 32 disposal effort the next round in the ' 7-point loss to . He also collected 1 goal, 7 marks and 4 tackles. Macrae was rewarded for his stellar second season with the Doug Hawkins Medal, awarded to the player who places runner up in the Western Bulldogs best and fairest voting. He collected 168 votes, 67 votes behind first-placed
Tom Liberatore Thomas Francis Liberatore (born 16 May 1992) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the in the Australian Football League (AFL). At and , he plays as a contested ball-winning midfielder who applies high amounts of pressure. He is the ...
. He also claimed the Tony Liberatore Most Improved Player Award. He was named in the preliminary squad of the
22 Under 22 team The 22 Under 22 team (stylised as 22under22) is an honorary representative Australian rules football team created by the AFL Players' Association that seeks to recognise the best young talent in the Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Wome ...
, but narrowly missed out on making the team. Macrae also collected the highest number of Brownlow votes out of any Bulldog that season, with a total of ten. He picked up the maximum best on ground 3 votes twice, in Rounds 3 and 17, and picked up 2 votes twice in Rounds 12 and 18. Macrae backed up his previous season with another solid season, averaging 26 disposals a game. With the Bulldogs making the finals for the first time since 2010, it was a year of improvement for both Macrae and the team. His first game for the season, the ' 10-point win over , saw him named as the Bulldogs' second best player in the match, behind Matthew Boyd. He collected 31 disposals and 8 marks in his impressive performance. In April that year, he signed a two-year contract extension alongside fellow 2012 draftee
Jake Stringer Jake Stringer (born 25 April 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2013 to 2017 and for the E ...
, keeping him at the club until 2018. Despite averaging 21.3 disposals in the first 6 rounds of the season, and collecting 23 disposals the previous game, Macrae was omitted for the 7th and 8th rounds of the season. He was again kept out of the senior team in round 8, despite a 37 disposal, 6 tackle game for the reserves team the previous week. In his next game in the reserves he collected a game high 10 tackles and another above 30 disposal game, leading coach
Luke Beveridge Luke Beveridge (born 23 August 1970) is an Australian rules football coach and former player who played for Melbourne, Footscray and St Kilda in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the 1990s. He is senior coach of the Western Bulldogs ...
to put him back in the main side in the 9th round. His round 12 performance in the team's 72-point demolition of the saw him collect his highest disposals count that season, a total of 35, while also getting 6 marks and 4 tackles. This dominant game saw him earn 3 Brownlow votes. He had one of his best performances for the season in the team's 22-point win against in the 15th round of the season, after he collected 33 disposals, 1 goal, 2 behinds and 10 marks. Macrae earned another 3 Brownlow votes in his best on ground performance after he played his 50th career game in the ' 64-point sweep over in the 19th 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 eig ...
. In the match, he collected 30 disposals, 2 marks and 2 tackles. Macrae placed in 8th position in the
Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...
, 76 votes behind first-placed
Easton Wood Easton Phillip Wood (born 4 September 1989) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He grew up in Camperdown, Victoria, Camperdown, Victoria (Australia), Victoria whi ...
. Macrae improved on his Brownlow performance slightly from the previous year, obtaining 11 votes, putting him at second place in the club and 27th overall. He picked up maximum votes twice, in Rounds 12 and 19, as well as 2 votes in rounds 14 and 15, and 1 vote in round 10.


2016–2017: Premiership glory

Macrae enjoyed another consistent season in 2016, averaging 27.6 disposals throughout his 22 games in the Bulldogs' fairytale season, where they broke a 62-year premiership drought from 7th place on the ladder. He never had under 20 disposals in a game that season, highlighting his consistency. He started out the season with a bang, collecting 30 disposals and kicking a goal in the ' 65-point annihilation of in the opening round, getting named as one of the team's best players that match. He also contributed with 5 marks, 4 tackles and 3 inside 50s. He had two of his best games for the season in the 6th and 11th 2016 rounds respectively, getting 33 disposals in each game. He earned 1 Brownlow vote for his performance in Round 11, his only vote that season. He was named as one of the Bulldogs' best players in the team's round ten 21-point victory over , collecting 32 disposals, 6 marks, and a season high 10 tackles. In Round 12 he had a hamstring scare, but despite this managed to play the next week. Macrae tore a hamstring tendon in the ' 25-point loss against in Round 19, a devastating blow for Macrae and the team, who were close to finals. In a battle against time to be fit for the finals, both he and teammate
Tom Liberatore Thomas Francis Liberatore (born 16 May 1992) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the in the Australian Football League (AFL). At and , he plays as a contested ball-winning midfielder who applies high amounts of pressure. He is the ...
underwent an intensive rehabilitation program. Both players benefited from the newly introduced AFL pre-finals bye which gave them extra time to be deemed fit enough for selection in the Elimination Final against . Macrae and Liberatore were just two of five changes Beveridge made to the team and the risk paid off, with the Bulldogs upsetting the highly fancied Eagles by 47 points. Macrae would go on to become one of the Bulldogs' key players in their amazing finals campaign, averaging 30 disposals a game throughout the finals series. Macrae had his best game for the season in the ' 23-point victory against in the semi-final, as he racked up 39 possessions and was influential in the Bulldogs' second-half demolition of a team they had previously never beaten in finals, and had not beaten since the 2010 season. He was named as one of the best on ground, behind Bulldogs star
Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previo ...
. In the thrilling preliminary final against , Macrae held his nerve to kick the winning set shot goal deep into the final quarter to get the Bulldogs into their first grand final since 1961. In the
Grand Final Primarily in Australian sports, a grand final is a game that decides a sports league's premiership (or championship) winning team, i.e. the conclusive game of a finals (or play-off) series. Synonymous with a championship game in North Ameri ...
, he was again among the Bulldogs' best with 33 disposals. Macrae finished equal 7th in the
Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...
voting with first-year player
Caleb Daniel Caleb Daniel (born 7 July 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australia ...
, with a total of 185 votes, 234 votes behind first-placed
Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previo ...
. He was named in the preliminary 22 Under 22 squad, but missed out on making the final 22. 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 ...
saw Macrae rapidly rise to the top of the Bulldogs midfield, improving his midfield work. He played every game of the season and averaged 27.5 disposals a game, while gathering 30 or more disposals in 8 games. Round 5 saw him perform as one of the best players for the Bulldogs in a 32-point comeback victory over the . In that game, he collected 29 disposals, 1 goal, 3 marks and 3 tackles. Macrae had a similarly good performance just two rounds later in Round 8, where he was named as one of the Bulldogs' best, collecting 32 disposals, 1 behind, 4 marks and 4 tackles. Round 12 saw Macrae be named as one of the Bulldogs' few good players in a 46-point loss to . He took 32 disposals, a team high for that game, and also 5 marks and 4 tackles. By around halfway through the season, it was clear how much of an impact Macrae was having, touted as one of the team's most valuable players that season so far. Macrae got better as the season went on, having one of his best performances in the Dogs' thrilling 1-point victory over in the 14th round, where he gathered 32 disposals, 5 clearances and 10 tackles. He earned 2 Brownlow votes for that game. In round 17, Macrae earned 2 Brownlow votes and collected above 30 disposals in the ' 20-point win over . He was named again as one of the best in Round 20, collecting 32 disposals againast . Rounds 22 and 23 saw him pick up a combine 3 Brownlow votes, as he hit a purple patch towards the late end of the season. He hit his highest disposals count for the season after a best-on-team performance in the team's loss against in Round 22, collecting 41 disposals. He once again earned two Brownlow votes for his performance in Round 23, after collecting 33 disposals, 3 marks and 7 tackles in the team's 9-point loss to . Macrae finished third in the
Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...
voting for 2017, winning the Gary Dempsey medal awarded to third place in the Bulldogs' best and fairest voting. He tallied up a total of 155 votes, 30 behind back-to-back winner
Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previo ...
. He recorded 8 Brownlow votes, thrice getting 2 votes and getting 1 vote twice. In November that year, Macrae signed a long term four-year contract, keeping him at the club until 2022. After signing, Macrae stated: "I've loved playing for the club and am excited about what the future holds, I'm proud to be on the verge of being a 100-game player at the club, and motivated to continue to improve my game every season." List manager
Brendan McCartney Brendan McCartney (born 23 October 1960) is the former senior coach of the Western Bulldogs football club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He coached 66 games in 3 seasons before he resigned from the job. He has served as the development ...
said "Jackson took his game to another level in 2017, and has become one of our most consistent performers, while he is already an important member of our midfield, he still has massive upside, and it's fantastic to see him recommit for the long term."


2018–2019: Maiden All-Australian

Macrae stood up for his team in 2018, moving into the elite category of footballers. He got named as the best Bulldog on ground in his 100th game against in Round 1 of the
2018 AFL season The 2018 AFL season was the 122nd 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 ...
. He gathered 31 disposals, 1 behind, 5 marks and 6 tackles. Macrae had close to his best game for the season in Round 2, where the Bulldogs were outdone by a formidable Eagles team by 51-points. In that game he collected a match-high 31 disposals, as well as 3 goals, 6 marks and 4 tackles. He had two impressive back to back perfromrnaces in Rounds 7 and 8, getting a combine total of 87 disposals in those two games. Round 7 saw him have an excellent game against , where he totalled 40 disposals and got named best on ground. He was given three
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...
votes for his performance. Then in Round 8, Macrae broke his career record of disposals in a single match, collecting an incredible 47 disposals in the team's 14-point win against . He was once again named best on ground and received another 3 Brownlow votes. These performances boosted his reputation as one of the AFL's best midfielders, gaining attention and praise from the media. He broke his record for most tackles in the next game with 13 tackles, a game high which saw him get named as the Bulldogs' best player on ground for the third game in a row. Macrae suffered a low-grade hamstring strain in the ' 57-point loss to in the 14th round of the season. He returned to the team in Round 17, and collected 33 disposals in his first game back, which saw him named as the Bulldogs' best. Macrae's performance in the final round of the season was one of his best, kicking a goal and gathering 43 disposals in a dominant performance against , which saw the Bulldogs narrowly lose. This performance saw him nab all 3 Brownlow votes for the third time that season. Macrae was named in the preliminary squad of the 2018 All-Australian team, but missed out on making the final squad, which many considered unlucky due to his incredible performance all year. Macrae received the Doug Hawkins medal for the second time in his career after placing just 1 vote behind Lachie Hunter in the Western Bulldogs
Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...
voting, tallying 190 votes over 19 games that season. He also won the John Van Groningen Domestique award for 2018, awarded to the player who places the team above themselves in games. Macrae secured 14 votes in the 2018 Brownlow Medal, placing equal-19th in the count. Macrae had his most successful season to date in 2019 being selected in the All-Australian team and being placed high in the Brownlow Medal count at the end of the year. The pre-season saw him work hard to improve his skillset, stating "I pride myself on my performance year-in, year-out and there's still so many areas for myself to improve which is really exciting," Macrae had 36 disposals and a goal in the second round of the year, which saw the pull off a major comeback in the final quarter to defeat . He earned 3 brownlow votes for his performance. Apart from a 36 disposal performance against in Round 7, he had a relatively quiet start to the season. Round 14 was the first time he collected over 40 disposals that season, getting 41 disposals in the ' 9-point loss to to be one of the Bulldogs' best on ground. He earned two Brownlow votes in this game. Round 19 saw Macrae as one of the finest players in his team, taking 38 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles and 8 clearances, which resulted in him being given two Brownlow Medal votes for that match. This game would see him kickstart a run of five consecutive Brownlow vote winning performances, greatly pushing him into Brownlow Medal contention. Round 20 saw Macrae earn 2 Brownlow Medal votes in a dominant display over the , where he set his disposals record for that season at 45. He also collected 4 marks, 7 tackles and 12 clearances. Round 21 saw him earn another 2 Brownlow Medal votes in the team's 104-point anhliation of . He kicked 1 goal, and collected 38 disposals, 2 marks and 8 tackles. Round 22 saw him earn another 3 Brownlow medal votes, after he tallied up 39 disposals, his 10th consecutive time getting 30 or more disposals in a game. In that game, he also collected 1 mark, 3 tackles and 7 clearances. Another outstanding performance in Round 23 saw Macrae earn back-to-back best on ground honours, securing another 3 Brownlow Medal votes. The 34-point win over saw Macrae collect 1 goal, 35 disposals, 4 marks and 8 clearances. Macrae was also named as the Bulldogs' best in their disappointing Elimination Finals loss to , after collecting 32 disposals, a game high. Macrae won a plethora of awards at the season's conclusion. He was awarded with his maiden
All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...
team honour, alongside teammate
Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previo ...
. The AFL player ratings system saw Macrae ranked as the 10th best player in the entire competition. He was named in the Herald Sun's top 50 players for 2019 with All-Australian teammate Bontempelli and young gun Josh Dunkley. He earned a career-high 22 votes in the 2019 Brownlow Medal, placing equal eighth in the count with teammate
Marcus Bontempelli Marcus Bontempelli (born 24 November 1995) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He has served as Western Bulldogs captain since the 2020 season, and was previo ...
. Macrae also got his third top-place finish for the 3rd season in a row, winning the Gary Dempsey Medal with a total of 268 votes, 31 behind 1st placed Marcus Bontempelli. He also led the league for most disposals averaged per game, averaging 33.4 disposals over his 23 games that season.


2020–: Continued success

The
2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th 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 featur ...
was another successful one for Macrae, who averaged 26.39 disposals a game even with shortened quarters. He participated in the
State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match The State of Origin for Bushfire Relief Match was a one-off all-star game between two representative sides organised by the Australian Football League to raise funds for recovery efforts following the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season. The ...
, playing on the Victorian team with teammate Marcus Bontempelli and against teammate Jason Johannisen. He wore the same number as his Bulldogs jersey, number 11. It only took Macrae until the third round of the year to receive his first best on ground performance, receiving 3
Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...
votes after his 25 disposal performance in the ' 24 point win over . He also collected 5 marks and a game-high 7 tackles. In Round 7, Macrae earned another 2 Brownlow votes after he contributed to the ' 42-point flogging of . He had 29 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles and 4 clearances. Macrae had his second best on ground performance for the year against in Round 8, racking up 29 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles and 7 clearances. Another 2 votes were awarded to Macrae in his 150th career game in the 9th round of the season, where he was the shining light in the ' 41-point defeat to . He gathered 37 disposals, the highest in the game and the equal second highest for the season, as well as 2 marks, 4 tackles and 4 clearances. Round 11 saw Macrae receive only 2 Brownlow votes, despite setting the record in the
2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th 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 featur ...
for most disposals in a single game, tallying up 40. While he did not receive the 3 best on ground votes, which were awarded to
Lachie Neale Lachlan Oliver Neale (born 24 May 1993) is an Australian rules footballer and the co-captain of the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Fremantle Football Club from 2012 to 2018 before being tra ...
, he did receive 2. He also kicked 1 goal, and had 4 marks, 4 tackles and 3 clearances. His Round 16 performance against was also impressive, earning him two Brownlow votes. He racked up 29 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles and 5 clearances. Macrae had one of his lowest disposal counts for the season in the team's 3-point Elimination Final loss to . Despite this, he still had the third-most disposals out of anyone on his team. Once again, Macrae amassed a number of awards at the season's end. He was selected for his second All-Australian team in a row, this time named on the wing. He polled 15 votes in the 2020 Brownlow Medal, placing equal 5th with other stars like
Patrick Dangerfield Patrick Dangerfield (born 5 April 1990) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Adelaide Football Club from 2008 to 2015. He has s ...
, Luke Parker, and
Dustin Martin Dustin Martin (born 26 June 1991) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Martin was drafted by Richmond with the third pick in the 2009 AFL draft#2 ...
. Despite polling the most votes out of any Bulldog in the Brownlow Medal count, Macrae placed 4th in the
Charles Sutton Medal The Charles Sutton Medal is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged best and fairest for the Western Bulldogs throughout the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League season. The medal is named a ...
count with 154 votes, 51 votes behind first-placed
Caleb Daniel Caleb Daniel (born 7 July 1996) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the North Melbourne Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australia ...
. Macrae began the
2021 AFL season The 2021 AFL season was the 125th 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 ...
in good form, collecting 35 and 41 disposals in his first two games, and being named in the Bulldogs' best in both matches. A 32 disposals, 1 goal round 4 performance against saw him again be named one of the team's best, nabbing 9 coaches votes to place him at equal-second in the count up to that point. Macrae obtained coaches votes in every single round up to and including Round 6, after a dominant Round 6 performance with 40 disposals, a goal and 8 inside 50s securing him 8 votes. Macrae drew praise from his coach Luke Beveridge after his dominant early season display, where he stated "Jack has had his best start to any season since I've been the senior coach". Macrae became just the second player ever to collect 30 or more disposals in the first 8 rounds of the season, the only other player being David Thorpe in 1971. After Macrae collected 31 disposals in round 16 against , he set the all-time record for most consecutive 30-disposal games in VFL/
AFL AFL may refer to: Education * Angel Foundation for Learning, a Canadian Roman Catholic charity * Ankara Science High School, a high school in Ankara, Turkey, natively referred to as ''Ankara Fen Liesi'' * Assessment for learning Military * ...
history, with 15 in a row. Macrae performed strongly in the Western Bulldogs' finals campaign, winning the Gary Ayres Award as best player throughout the finals series. Following his
All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...
years, Macrae fell out of favour at the Bulldogs, playing more prominently in the VFL and the starting substitute in AFL matches. A stand out performance in the VFL came early in the 2024 season when he collected 46 disposals and 16 clearances against . At the conclusion of the 2024 season, Jack Macrae requested to be traded despite being contracted until 2027. Macrae nominated and was officially traded on 16 October.


Statistics

: ''Statistics are correct to the end of the 2024 season.'' , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, , 11 , , 13 , , 3 , , 1 , , 100 , , 133 , , 233 , , 35 , , 35 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 7.7 , , 10.2 , , 17.9 , , 2.7 , , 2.7 , , 0 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
, , 11 , , 21 , , 9 , , 5 , , 302 , , 260 , , 562 , , 119 , , 86 , , 0.4 , , 0.2 , , 14.4 , , 12.4 , , 26.8 , , 5.7 , , 4.1 , , 10 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, , 11 , , 21 , , 5 , , 6 , , 287 , , 267 , , 554 , , 97 , , 117 , , 0.2 , , 0.3 , , 13.7 , , 12.7 , , 26.4 , , 4.6 , , 5.6 , , 11 , - , scope=row bgcolor=F0E68C ,
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
# , , 11 , , 22 , , 2 , , 4 , , 271 , , 336 , , 607 , , 104 , , 96 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 12.3 , , 15.3 , , 27.6 , , 4.7 , , 4.4 , , 1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, , 11 , , 22 , , 2 , , 5 , , 260 , , 345 , , 605 , , 100 , , 127 , , 0.1 , , 0.2 , , 11.8 , , 15.7 , , 27.5 , , 4.5 , , 5.8 , , 8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, , 11 , , 19 , , 8 , , 5 , , 299 , , 324 , , 623 , , 110 , , 102 , , 0.4 , , 0.3 , , 15.7 , , 17.1 , , 32.8 , , 5.8 , , 5.4 , , 14 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, , 11 , , 23 , , 5 , , 2 , , 342 , , 425 , , 767 , , 101 , , 120 , , 0.2 , , 0.1 , , 14.9 , , 18.5 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 33.4 , , 4.4 , , 5.2 , , 22 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, , 11 , , 18 , , 3 , , 3 , , 206 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 269 , , 475 , , 50 , , 71 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 11.4 , , 15.0 , , 26.4 , , 2.8 , , 3.9 , , 15 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, , 11 , , 26 , , 6 , , 4 , , 435 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 445 , , bgcolor=CAE1FF , 880 , , 102 , , 128 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 16.7 , , 17.1 , , 33.8 , , 3.9 , , 4.9 , , 14 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, , 11 , , 23 , , 4 , , 4 , , 342 , , 363 , , 705 , , 96 , , 87 , , 0.2 , , 0.2 , , 14.9 , , 15.8 , , 30.7 , , 4.2 , , 3.8 , , 11 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
, , 11 , , 22 , , 7 , , 2 , , 239 , , 318 , , 557 , , 82 , , 97 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 10.9 , , 14.5 , , 25.3 , , 3.7 , , 4.4 , , 0 , - class="sortbottom" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
, , 11 , , 19 , , 5 , , 2 , , 146 , , 203 , , 349 , , 65 , , 63 , , 0.3 , , 0.2 , , 7.7 , , 10.7 , , 18.4 , , 3.4 , , 3.3 , , 0 , - ! colspan=3, Career ! 249 ! 59 ! 43 ! 3228 ! 3687 ! 6915 ! 1061 ! 1130 ! 0.2 ! 0.2 ! 13.1 ! 14.9 ! 28.1 ! 4.3 ! 4.6 ! 106 Notes


Personal life

Macrae is in a relationship with Louisa Macleod, who he took to the
2017 Brownlow Medal The 2017 Brownlow Medal was the 90th year the award was presented to the player adjudged the fairest and best player during the Australian Football League (AFL) home and away season. Dustin Martin of the Richmond Football Club won the medal with ...
presentation night. The couple married on 6 January 2024. Macrae's brother,
Finlay Macrae Finlay Macrae (born 13 March 2002) is an Australian rules footballer who plays with the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League. Finlay is the younger brother of player Jack Macrae, who formerly played for the Western Bulld ...
, was drafted by in the
2020 AFL draft The 2020 AFL draft consisted of the various periods where the 18 clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL) could trade and recruit players following the completion of the 2020 AFL season. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Nati ...
. Macrae's father, David Macrae, died on 21 February 2021. Macrae appeared in an advertising campaign for McDonalds that began airing on television throughout the early months of 2021. He has done charity work with Team Ladder, an official AFL player charity which works on using the power of players and industry to help improve the lives of young people.


Honours and achievements

AFL *Team **
AFL premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...
:
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
*Individual **
All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...
:
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
**Doug Hawkins Medal: 2014, 2018, 2021 **Gary Ayres Award: 2021 **Gary Dempsey Medal: 2017, 2019 **John van Groningen Domestique Award: 2018 **Tony Liberatore Most Improved Player Award: 2014 **Chris Grant Best First Year Player Award: 2013 **
AFL Rising Star The AFL Rising Star is an Australian rules football award presented annually to the player adjudged the best young player in the Australian Football League (AFL) for the year. It was first presented in the 1993 season, and was won by Nathan Bu ...
nominee:
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
TAC Cup *Team ** TAC Cup premiers & Best on Ground -
Oakleigh Chargers The Oakleigh Chargers is an Australian rules football club playing in the Talent League, the top statewide under-18 competition in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. They are based at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh, Victoria, representing the ...
: 2012


References


External links

* * *
Match ratings
from Inside Football {{DEFAULTSORT:Macrae, Jackson 1994 births Living people VFL/AFL premiership players Western Bulldogs players St Kilda Football Club players Western Bulldogs premiership players Oakleigh Chargers players Australian rules footballers from Melbourne People educated at Carey Baptist Grammar School All-Australians (AFL) People from Kew, Victoria 21st-century Australian sportsmen