Australian Football

Rejected by Richmond for being 'too small' Ricky Jackson was picked up by Melbourne and went on to prove that he was a fine player. Boasting exceptional pace and good skills he debuted with the Dees in 1986 and soon developed into a key member of the team. Arguably at his best by 1988 he featured in that year's Bicentennial carnival in Adelaide as a member of the Australian Amateurs team for which he qualified by virtue of having hailed from VAFA club Ormond. He went on to play in the Demons' losing grand final against Hawthorn the same year, and with 43 majors to his name was the club's leading goal kicker.

Other highlights of a career cruelly curtailed by injury were appearances for Victoria and the Australian international rules team. At the end of the 1991 season he was somewhat surprisingly traded to Footscray but sustained a badly broken leg prior to round one and did not play again. His career with Melbourne comprised 80 V/AFL games and saw him kick 131 goals.

Author - John Devaney