Luke Jackson produced another decisive third-quarter burst at Optus Stadium, helping Fremantle overturn Geelong’s momentum and establish a 16-point lead in their 2026 AFL semi-final.
The Dockers had watched the Cats recover from 31 points down and take the lead after Jeremy Cameron’s second goal. Jackson then took control, just as he had done for Melbourne in the 2021 grand final at the same venue.
Five years ago, Jackson was only 30 games into his AFL career and had recently won the AFL Rising Star award. With the Western Bulldogs threatening to break Melbourne open, Max Gawn urged coach Simon Goodwin to use the younger ruckman’s athleticism to change the contest.
Jackson immediately helped Melbourne win a boundary throw-in, guiding Tim English away from the ball and tapping it to Jack Viney. James Harmes then surged through the stoppage to find Bayley Fritsch, who scored.
Jackson also helped halve the next centre clearance, creating room for Clayton Oliver to burst forward and set up Fritsch’s second goal in less than a minute. Melbourne went on to kick seven goals in 15 minutes, with Jackson recording five hit-outs, three of them to advantage, during the centre-clearance onslaught.
He finished that grand final with nine score involvements and kicked a goal himself in the final quarter as Melbourne wrested control from the Bulldogs.
Against Geelong, Jackson was again called upon when his side needed a response. He used his strength to draw a free kick from Mitch Edwards and kicked his first goal before helping Fremantle win the next centre clearance, which ended with Josh Treacy restoring the Dockers’ lead from the edge of 50.
Jackson then tapped the ball into Pat Voss’s path from a forward-50 stoppage, setting up another goal. He won a second free kick against Edwards and kicked his own second goal after the siren.
In the seven minutes between Cameron’s goal and the end of the third quarter, Jackson collected five disposals, four contested possessions, four clearances and four score involvements. He also kicked twice as Fremantle won the clearance count 5-1, putting the Dockers in front and re-energising the Optus Stadium crowd.
