Woodville-West Torrens forward Charlie West, grandson of ex-AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson, emerges as draft prospect
He’s spoken to Port Adelaide twice, while Carlton and Collingwood are visiting him in SA. Meet strong-marking forward Charlie West, whose grandpa is ex-AFL boss Wayne Jackson.
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Charlie West’s grandfather has been a fixture on the sidelines during the Woodville-West Torrens forward’s rise to becoming an AFL draft prospect.
A chair he used to take to games hinted at his former life.
“It was actually an old AFL chair that my daughters made me change because ‘AFL’ stuck out,” Charlie’s grandfather Wayne Jackson tells this masthead.
“It’s now just a green canvas chair.”
Jackson, of course, is a former chief executive of the AFL.
He served in the top job from 1996 to 2003 – three years before Charlie was born.
Today, Jackson is retired and a proud grandpa of 10.
The 80-year-old typically sits in the Woodville Oval grandstands for Charlie’s home matches but is on his chair away from other spectators at most other grounds.
“He doesn’t tell me when he’s coming out, I just look around and I’ll see him there with his chair,” says Charlie, a 194cm key forward.
“He’s been very supportive of me and comes out to almost every game.
“He likes to yell out ‘get the ball, go Charlie’.”
Charlie, 18, this year played two league games for the Eagles, under ex-Crows and Carlton ruckman Sam Jacobs, as well as 10 for the club’s under-18s and two for the state under-18s.
“I think my season was pretty good,” Charlie says.
Jacobs, Adelaide premiership captain Mark Bickley, who is Charlie’s school coach at Immanuel, and Port Adelaide recruit Jack Lukosius – a family friend – have provided valuable advice.
So too has his grandfather.
“He gives me a call after games and tells me what he thinks I did right and what I need to work on,” Charlie says.
Jackson, a 71-game SANFL player for West Torrens from 1965-71, adds: “Most times it’s complimentary but sometimes it’s ‘I think you could have done better there’ or common stuff like ‘you lead too early’.”
Charlie considers his contested marking, power and competitiveness among his strengths.
At last month’s national draft combine, the Henley Sharks product impressed in the 20m sprint, finishing sixth in 2.957sec, and was ninth in the standing vertical jump, hitting 70cm.
Years spent playing volleyball for his school and basketball for Woodville have helped his leap.
Jackson would hang a ball in a walkway at his home so Charlie could practise ruck taps when they thought he might become a ruckman.
“Charlie’s always had a real crack at the ball – that’s flowed all the way through,” says Jackson, who has attended his grandson’s games since he started playing.
“He’s a great chaser and tackler.
“He’s always been a very good kick too.
“What changed is he’s now a very strong marker of the ball.”
Charlie had been a key defender until under-16s when he switched to attack.
“You think I’m a backman, don’t you?,” he says to his grandfather.
Jackson says: “Yeah, I think eventually he’ll be a very good intercept centre half-back”.
The former AFL boss also gives his take on his grandson’s fashion choices, such as his haircut, moustache growing and not wearing his socks up.
“My mullet at one stage was very big, a big mop,” Charlie says.
“He didn’t like it and whenever I’d come over here, he’d grab my hair.”
Jackson adds with a smile: “I’m old-fashioned – I’m showing my age, now.”
The generation gap is apparent whenever Jackson tells Charlie to use his left hand and foot more.
“I don’t think grandpa understands that in this modern day, you don’t have to have that as a major strength,” Charlie says.
“But it is good to have if you’re under pressure and if you’re on that left side, you can use that left foot, which I’ve been working on.”
Charlie has spoken to nine or 10 AFL clubs.
Port Adelaide has chatted to him twice, but not the Crows, whom he supports.
Collingwood interviewed him in Adelaide a fortnight ago.
Carlton is coming next week.
“I just try to be myself,” says Charlie, who is tipped as a possible late pick or rookie in this month’s drafts.
“It is obviously a bit of a lottery and it can be whether a club needs you.
“Ever since I was a little kid I’ve been watching the AFL picturing myself being on that field.
“If I don’t get my name called out, I’ll try again next year and play for the Eagles.
“There’s so many stories of mature-agers getting picked up.”
The main thing Jackson wants for Charlie is the same for all his grandchildren: to enjoy their sport, do their best and try to develop their careers outside of that.
“We’ve got granddaughters doing exceptionally well in hockey and cricket, other grandsons playing a bit of footy,” says Jackson, a former managing director of SA brewing and Hardys Wines.
“If they’re playing sport in a team environment, I’m happy as Larry.
“Getting drafted would be a wonderful opportunity for Charlie with his football and gives him some time to advance academically in a career, which ultimately he’ll have to fall back on.”
Charlie hopes to study a bachelor of business.
Where does that interest comes from?
“A tiny bit from grandpa,” Charlie says as he and Jackson laugh.
Originally published as Woodville-West Torrens forward Charlie West, grandson of ex-AFL chief executive Wayne Jackson, emerges as draft prospect
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