Walyalup (Fremantle) Dockers ruckman Luke Jackson’s form is forcing a switch of roles when Sean Darcy is fit

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Walyalup (Fremantle) Dockers ruckman Luke Jackson’s form is forcing a switch of roles when Sean Darcy is fit

Walyalup (Fremantle) coach Justin Longmuir admits in-demand star Luke Jackson’s brilliant performances this season are commanding more time as the main ruckman after he helped the Dockers to a 34-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Saturday.

Jackson starred with 21 disposals, seven clearances and 32 hit outs to lead Walyalup to a 13.17 (95) to 8.13 (61) victory at ENGIE Stadium.

The athletic big man has been in the headlines all week amid speculation that he could return to Melbourne at the end of the season.

Jackson has played most of his football as a forward/ruck with the Dockers while sharing the position with Sean Darcy.

But Darcy’s injuries and Jackson’s form are set to see him elevated in the ruck pecking order.

“You saw last week that we started him in the ruck when he and Sean were in the team. We’ve edged that way anyway. There’s other ways we can get Luke around the ball without playing in the ruck as well. We’ll look to evolve that,” Longmuir said.

“I thought Luke used his athleticism in the ruck contest. What he does around the ground once the ball hits the deck, not many rucks in the comp bring that. He’s a real weapon for us clearly.”

Longmuir heaped praise on Jackson’s ability to ignore the attention that has followed him all year and play well despite being at the centre of trade speculation.

Camera IconLuke Jackson is in great form. Credit: Cameron Spencer/AFL Photos/Getty Images

The Dockers coach expressed frustration that other clubs are constantly talking about his player behind the scenes and adding fuel to the story.

That comes after The West Australia’s exclusive report Jackson is expected to request a trade back to Melbourne.

“I can only imagine how many phone calls and how many people want to talk to him about what’s going on,” Longmuir said.

“Like I said to the players at the end of the game, you wouldn’t know it with Luke. He’s able to push those distractions aside, come to the club, get to the work, be a great teammate, work on his game and you saw that ability tonight. He had a great week of preparation.

“From my discussions with him, he’s a bit confused about where it all comes from. Headlines keep popping up and people from other clubs keep fuelling them. Until he comes to me asking for a trade, I won’t be concerned.”

The Dockers dominated the midfield, winning the centre clearances 15-8 and controlling the game through contested possessions. Caleb serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Shai Bolton led the way in the centre of the ground.

Longmuir said it was the Dockers’ most complete performance of the season.

“i think so,” he said.

“Probably in the last 10 minutes we got a bit sloppy. I thought we jumped into the game reasonably well and built from that start. Even at the start of the last quarter, we were up for the contest and playing the way we want to play.

“We’ve played some really good footy this year so it’s hard to measure it against the Adelaide game and a few of the other performances. our form against sides above has been pretty solid. It was a really strong performance.”

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