Jackson Macrae (born 3 August 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). At 191 cm (6 ft 3in) tall and 85 kg (187 lb), he plays as a ball-winning midfielder who can play on the inside or as a running outside midfielder. He grew up in Kew, Victoria while attending Carey Baptist Grammar School, where he won the best and fairest award while playing for their top team. He played top-level junior football with the Oakleigh Chargers in the NAB League and Vic Metro in the AFL Under 18 Championships.
Macrae was drafted with the sixth selection in the 2012 AFL draft. 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 95 Brownlow Medal 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.
Macrae attended secondary school at Carey Baptist Grammar School, with future AFL players such as Jack Viney and Nathan Hrovat. Macrae was not selected to play for the Oakleigh Chargers 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, he was coached by former North Melbourne player David King; under his guidance Macrae won the best and fairest for the team despite being around 4 future AFL draftees.
Macrae was selected to play for the Oakleigh Chargers in the NAB League 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 in multiple finals. In Oakleigh's 46-point semi-finals win against the Dandenong Stingrays in September 2012, he was named as one of the team's best players that game. He was then named best on ground in the Chargers' 83-point preliminary final demolition of the North Ballarat Rebels, 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 in the grand final, where he kicked a crucial behind to secure the team's premiership trophy. He was named as the Oakleigh Chargers' 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 between pick 6 and pick 13. He was recruited to the Bulldogs with the sixth selection in the 2012 AFL Draft, one pick behind future premiership forward Jake Stringer.