Fremantle ruck-forward Luke Jackson is tipped to request a stunning return to Melbourne at season’s end, with a report in The West Australian linking the 23-year-old’s decision to recent “significant off-field issues.”
The 2021 premiership player, who left the Demons at the end of 2022 in a high-profile trade, is just two years into a seven-year, $900,000-a-season deal with the Dockers.
But his situation appears to have shifted dramatically in recent months, with personal matters now said to be influencing a desire to return east.
Dees swap with Pickett could be on the cards
While Jackson publicly shut down any move back in March, calling trade talk “rubbish” and insisting, “I definitely will stay… I love Freo”, speculation has only grown louder since then. A potential player swap involving Melbourne’s Kysaiah Pickett has even been floated, with the Demons long rumoured to be open to sending the dynamic forward west.
MORE: Luke Jackson revelation: Potential trade from Fremantle to Melbourne on the cards?
Melbourne captain Max Gawn, speaking on Triple M, couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire this week: “WA is an unbelievable place to be when you’re 18, 19, like it’s a great party and these Perth boys go back at 22 and all their mates have sort of grown up a bit. There’s so many people that got a trade back to WA and then came back… not mentioning one that potentially could be coming back soon.”
Jackson has been in strong form this year, averaging a career-best 16.5 disposals and 27.5 hitouts despite a brief injury layoff. But Fremantle’s struggle to consistently manage both him and injury-prone ruck Sean Darcy has raised questions about long-term fit.
Should a move materialise, it would mark a dramatic full-circle moment for Jackson.