Xavier Clarke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Xavier Clarke |
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Clarke as Richmond VFL head coach in July 2021
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| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Xavier Clarke | ||
| Date of birth | 28 September 1983 | ||
| Place of birth | Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia | ||
| Original team | St Mary's (NTFL) | ||
| Draft |
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| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Career highlights | |||
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Playing
Coaching
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Xavier Clarke (born 28 September 1983) is a former Australian rules football player. He played for the St Kilda and Brisbane Lions teams in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Xavier Clarke has Indigenous Australian heritage. His family comes from the Gambalang people. They live in the Daly River area of the Northern Territory.
Xavier started playing football at the St Mary's Football Club in Darwin. This club is part of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL). He was a top junior player. Many people thought he would be picked early in the 2001 AFL Draft.
Playing Career in the AFL
Joining St Kilda
St Kilda chose Xavier Clarke as their first pick in the 2001 AFL Draft. He was the fifth player chosen overall. He was given the number 20 jersey.
Xavier played his first senior AFL game in the 2002 AFL season. He was even nominated as an AFL Rising Star that year. His brother, Raphael, was also drafted by St Kilda later on.
Xavier played 57 games in his first three seasons. After the 2003 AFL season, he took over the number 3 jersey. This jersey used to belong to former St Kilda captain Nathan Burke.
Dealing with Injuries
In the 2005 season, Xavier had a tough time. His season ended early because he hurt his hamstring in a game. This happened in Round 17 against Collingwood.
Xavier continued to struggle with injuries for the rest of his AFL career. After the 2009 AFL season, he moved to the Brisbane Lions. St Kilda traded him for a draft pick.
Time with Brisbane Lions
Xavier played only one game for Brisbane. This was in Round 18 of the 2010 season. They lost to the Melbourne Football Club at Brisbane's home ground, the Gabba.
He hurt his hamstring again in that game. Even though it seemed like a minor injury, he never played again.
In 2011, Xavier almost finished a full pre-season. But then he badly injured his right knee. The Brisbane Lions offered him a spot on their rookie list. However, Xavier decided to retire from football at the end of the 2011 season.
Coaching Career
After his playing career, Xavier Clarke became a coach. In 2014, he became the head coach of the NT Thunder team. This team plays in the NEAFL league.
He won the Coach of the Year award in 2014. The next year, in 2015, he led his team to win the NEAFL premiership!
In 2017, he joined Richmond as an assistant coach for their VFL team. By 2020, he became the head coach of the club's VFL side.
Achievements and Awards
Xavier Clarke has achieved a lot in his career:
- NEAFL Premiership Coach: 2015
- NEAFL Coach of the Year: 2014
- NT Sports Awards Coach of the Year: 2016
Other Work
Xavier has also worked with the AFL and the AFL Players Association (AFLPA). He helped with programs to connect with Indigenous communities. He was also a founder of the Unity Foundation. This group worked to help homeless Indigenous young people.
