Jack Martin (Australian footballer) facts for kids

Jack Martin (born 29 January 1995) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is known for his skills as a midfielder.

Early Life and Junior Football

Jack Martin was born in Broome, Western Australia. His mother is from the Yawuru people and his father is from the Yamatji people. When Jack was 12, his family moved to Geraldton, Western Australia. He went to Geraldton Senior College for high school.

At just 15 years old, Jack played his first senior football game for the Towns Football Club. This team was part of the Great Northern Football League. In that same year, his team made it to the Grand Final. Jack played against Jaeger O'Meara, who later became his teammate at the Gold Coast Suns.

Jack was chosen by the Claremont Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL). He was the very first player picked in the 2012 Mini Draft. This special draft was for players who were too young for the main 2012 AFL Draft. The Gold Coast Suns got the first pick in this mini-draft. They traded their second overall pick in the main draft to get it.

Because of the mini-draft rules, Jack could not play for the Gold Coast Suns in the 2013 season. However, he did play for them in the 2013 NAB Cup preseason games. He also played for their reserve team in the North East Australian Football League.

AFL Career Highlights

Jack Martin made his official AFL debut in Round 1 of the 2014 AFL season. He played against Richmond at Metricon Stadium. Early in the game, Jack hurt his left shoulder while trying to catch the ball. He had to leave the game. It was first thought he might miss the whole season. But scans showed he would only miss about two months. He returned to play in Round 14 against Geelong.

After the 2018 AFL season, Jack wanted to move to a club in Victoria. The Essendon team was interested in him. But the Gold Coast Suns did not want to trade him. So, Jack played the 2019 AFL season with Gold Coast.

After the 2019 AFL season, Jack again asked to move to Victoria. Both the Carlton and Western Bulldogs teams were keen to sign him. He was expected to choose Carlton. The Suns and Carlton could not agree on a trade during the trade period. So, Jack joined Carlton through the 2019 pre-season draft.

Jack played 54 games for Carlton over five seasons. On 13 September 2024, Carlton decided to remove him from their team list. In November 2024, the Geelong Football Club signed Jack. He joined them as a delisted free agent, which means he was available to sign with any club.

Career Statistics Summary

Jack Martin has played a total of 156 AFL games. In these games, he has kicked 134 goals. He continues to play for the Geelong Football Club.