Dandenong Stingray Judson Clarke overcomes knee injury to jump into AFL draft contention

Roo relish: They’ll be jumping for joy at Judson Clarke’s home club if he is taken in the AFL national draft next week.

Judson Clarke training at Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham on Monday. Photo by Michael Klein.

His home club is listed as Berwick.

But speedy Dandenong Stingrays forward Judson Clarke has never played a game for the Wicks.

He put them down as his secondary club to link with Rays teammates Mac Andrew and Miller Bergman.

Home is most assuredly at East Ringwood, the Roos, where he went through the juniors, captaining sides and playing in premierships and rep teams; where his father, Jarrod, is a great of the club; and where they’ll give a mighty cheer if his name is called at next week’s AFL national draft.

If?

At East Ringwood, they hope it’s more a case of when his name will be called.

Judson Clarke celebrates one of his five goals in the Vic Country-Vic Metro match.

The NAB League watchers who predict where players will be drafted have him down as a second-round selection.

It can be said with certainty that he’s one of the best small forwards in the draft pool.

The left-footer rose to prominence this year with a five-goal haul in the trial game between Vic Country and Vic Metro at Werribee in June.

His father had told him before the match that if there was ever a time to play well, this was it.

“I just kept presenting all game and things fell into my lap,’’ Clarke said.

Stingrays coach Nick Cox watched on from the interchange and later said he could make a case for Clarke being best-afield in good company.

Ahead of the draft Clarke has spoken to a “few clubs’’, in between knocking over his exams at Yarra Valley Grammar.

He said it was an exciting time.

Being drafted would be a “dream’’. “It’s been a dream ever since I can remember,’’ he said.

Resilience can be added to Clarke’s obvious strengths of pace and goal sense.

Late in the 2019 season he was playing for the East Ringwood Under 17s and trying to qualify for the finals when he suffered an ACL injury to his right knee.

His side was 100 points up. There was five minutes to go. He was knocked off the ball “and when I landed I went to go straight back to where the ball was and my knee just collapsed’’.

“It felt like I got shot in the knee,’’ Clarke said.

“Felt this snap, this pop. It wasn’t good.’’

He had surgery that August, started running after three months and worked through his rehab in 2020. As it was, Covid killed off the NAB League Boys season and he missed no football in what would have been his bottom-age year with the Stingrays.

“It worked out well for me that way,’’ he said. “Really thankful.’’

Judson Clarke flying for East Ringwood. Pic: East Ringwood FC

Clarke took his place in the Stingrays’ Round 1 team this year and has had no problems with the knee.

“I don’t even think about it now,’’ he said. “I kind of forget I ever did it, which is unreal.’’

Clarke said he was pleased with his season and he had given himself a good chance to be drafted.

He said he liked to play “green ball, go fast, that’s my style’’. It helped him to honours including selection in the NAB League Boys team of the year and the best and fairest playing school for Yarra Valley Grammar under Hawthorn premiership player Paul Hudson, himself a goalkicking forward.

Stingrays coach Cox played against Jarrod Clarke, who figured in East Ringwood’s memorable 2002 Eastern league premiership when it rattled home to defeat East Burwood.

They became acquainted again when the Clarkes moved to Narre Warren North four years ago and Judson came into the Stingrays’ zone.

But he proudly calls East Ringwood home, and they’re all behind bouncy goalkicker “Juddy’’ as he tries to achieve his biggest goal.