Melbourne rookie Jack Henderson keeps his hand in agronomy

Jack Henderson is sticking true to his country roots working part-time with farmers and forging an AFL career. We chat to him about how he does it.

Melbourne rookie Jack Henderson has the perfect time-out from the AFL bubble.

Rather than trying to lower a golf handicap, having coffee catch-ups with managers or completing extra rehab in the gym, the Riverina born-and-bred first-year AFL player is on the tools working part-time as an agronomist in western Victoria.

The 25-year-old initially was full-time at Nutrien’s Bannockburn branch before being added to the Demons’ senior list less than a month before the start of this season.

Henderson struck a deal with his employer to stay working on a significantly reduced basis so he could pursue his AFL dream that has already seen him play five senior matches.

“I’ve seen lots of people come out of school and put all their eggs in one basket,” Henderson said.

“But I’ve got to be realistic.

“Even if you do make it into the AFL, the average lifetime in the game is about three years.

“You are going to come out at some stage and it’s important to find something you love and chip away at it as much as you can in the early days.

“A lot of the other players go and play golf, do a bit of extra recovery or study.

“But that is the day I come into work.”

Melbourne rookie Jack Henderson checks out a vanola crop near Inverleigh. Picture Yuri Kouzmin

Henderson studied agricultural science at La Trobe University after being a boarder at Geelong College from year 9 to 12.

Covid forced him home to the family’s rice, winter crop and sheep farm at Blighty in southern NSW to complete his degree before securing a job with Nutrien two years ago.

“It had it’s pros and cons,” he said.

“I got to do a fair bit of farm work while I did my lectures in the morning or night.

“It wasn’t great doing it through a computer, particularly the hands on, practical stuff.

“But now I’m finished I just love seeing farmers grow great crops and make good money.

“You are dealing with farmers ranging from young blokes just getting into it, to blokes who have been around for 30 to 40 years.

“The relationships you build is the thing I love because they’ve got to trust you with your knowledge.”

He works under senior agronomist Nathan McKinley and his patch includes farms in the Birregurra, Skipton and Bacchus Marsh areas that haven’t been immune to drought.

“The last two years have been pretty dry at the back end,” Henderson said.

“They haven’t been your typical western district season that’s for sure.

“But the start of this year has been the worst I’ve seen down there.”

Melbourne small forward Jack Henderson outside the MCG.

Henderson put himself in the AFL national draft mix last November after winning the Norm Goss Medal as the best player on the ground in Werribee’s drought-breaking VFL flag win.

But unlike Werribee premiership teammates, Riley Bice and Aidan Johnson, who were picked up by Sydney and Melbourne, Henderson had to bide his time until the death-knock of AFL player lists being finalised.

At one stage he headed to the West Coast Eagles for a week to try out for their remaining list spot before Melbourne claimed him more than a decade after playing his first senior match for Deniliquin in the Murray league, aged only 14.

Henderson started playing for Blighty in the Picola District where his dad Don coached in 1980 before switching to Deniliquin.

After missing out on an AFL call up as an 18-year-old, Henderson was recruited to Werribee in 2018, starting in the back pocket before becoming an integral member of the team’s midfield.

He credited Werribee’s “unbelievable” development program for AFL clubs regularly recruiting its players.

Former Werribee teammates Jack Henderson and Aidan Johnson have reunited at Melbourne Picture: MelbourneFC

The list of success stories include others who started their careers at country clubs including Shaun Mannagh and Johnson (Lavington), Bice (Albury) and most recently Zac Banch (Shepparton Swans, Yarrawonga).

Werribee lost the 2023 grand final to Gold Coast before winning the flag last year with Henderson presented with his best-on-ground medal by Mannagh, who won the same honour 12 months earlier before being drafted by Geelong.

“The 2023 Gold Coast team we lost to was stacked with talent,” Henderson said.

“We were knocking on the door for a while and had a core group of players who had stuck around for a while.

“Last year we got our reward and to win the flag was awesome.”

Henderson played the first five matches of the season for Melbourne before playing at VFL team Casey in recent weeks.

Originally published as Melbourne rookie Jack Henderson keeps his hand in agronomy