Jacob van Rooyen (born 16 April 2003) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for Claremont in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).[1] He was drafted by Melbourne with their first selection and nineteenth overall in the 2021 national draft.[2] After spending the entire 2022 season playing for Casey in the Victorian Football League, he made his debut in the 50-point win against Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the third round of the 2023 season, kicking three goals and making six tackles.[3]
| Jacob van Rooyen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Jacob van Rooyen | ||
| Date of birth | 16 April 2003 | ||
| Original team(s) | Claremont (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 19, 2021 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 3, 2023, Melbourne vs. Sydney, at MCG | ||
| Height | 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 96 kg (212 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Melbourne | ||
| Number | 2 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2022– | Melbourne | 41 (58) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
During the Round 8 game against Gold Coast, van Rooyen was charged with striking and suspended for two weeks when an attempted spoil on Charlie Ballard resulted in his arm hitting his opponent's head.[4] The suspension was overturned upon appeal, and van Rooyen was able to play the following week.[5]
In Round 12, he was awarded the weekly Rising Star nomination[6] after his tenth consecutive game, having scored at least one goal in each game.
Van Rooyen's 2023 season is known for its accuracy, having the highest goal-to-behind percentage of any player in the league to have 30 or more scoring shots, scoring 28 goals and 9 behinds and resulting in an accuracy percentage of 75.7%.[7]
After Melbourne’s Qualifying Final in 2023 van Rooyen received a one match ban due to a high bump on Collingwood player Daniel McStay. This caused van Rooyen to miss the semi final match against Carlton which Melbourne lost in the dying seconds, therefore ending Melbourne’s season.
Statistics
editUpdated to the end of 2024.[8]
G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2022 | Melbourne | 21 | 0 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2023 | Melbourne | 2 | 20 | 28 | 9 | 90 | 84 | 174 | 62 | 43 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 8.7 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 2 |
| 2024 | Melbourne | 2 | 21 | 30 | 16 | 127 | 88 | 215 | 81 | 38 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 6.0 | 4.2 | 10.2 | 3.9 | 1.8 | 1 |
| Career | 41 | 58 | 25 | 217 | 172 | 389 | 143 | 81 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 5.3 | 4.2 | 9.5 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 3 | ||
References
edit- ^ "Jacob van Rooyen". melbournefc.com.au. 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Drafted: Demons land Jacob van Rooyen with pick No.19". melbournefc.com.au. 24 November 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
- ^ "Van Rooyen impresses in Demons' AFL win over Sydney". ESPN.com. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
- ^ "'Absolute rubbish': Host blows up as AFL's 'ridiculous' van Rooyen Tribunal call 'must be appealed'". Fox Sports. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "AFL world erupts after 'joke' marathon hearing: 'Like when the Berlin Wall fell'". 7NEWS. 12 May 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "Demons young gun van Rooyen handling expectation". PerthNow. 6 June 2023. Retrieved 3 July 2023.
- ^ "AFL Goalkickers for Season 2023". www.footywire.com. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Jacob van Rooyen". AFL Tables. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
External links
edit- Jacob van Rooyen's profile on the official website of the Melbourne Football Club
- Jacob van Rooyen's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Jacob van Rooyen at AustralianFootball.com
