Pressure is mounting on high-profile Fremantle recruit Luke Jackson with the ruck-forward taking only one mark and remaining goalless in his first two video games — regardless of being one of many workforce’s highest-paid gamers.
Jackson, 21, has struggled to have an effect for the winless Dockers as his much-hyped partnership with Doig medallist Sean Darcy will get off to a rocky begin.
Jackson is reportedly on about $900,000 a yr, which interprets to a staggering $78,000 per mark this season if he continues to take one seize each two video games.
It is likely one of the issues dealing with Justin Longmuir and the Dockers forward of a vital Western Derby, with historical past suggesting a loss on Sunday would all however finish their top-four hopes.
![PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: Luke Jackson of the Dockers handballs during the round 2 AFL match between the Fremantle Dockers and North Melbourne Kangaroos at Optus Stadium, on March 25, 2023, in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)](https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-10177613/3018c01214fd0c0694a2448b8d127a6970d8ea46.jpg?imwidth=668&impolicy=pn_v3)
The West Australian columnist and WA nice Peter Sumich was amongst those that blasted Jackson for his efficiency in opposition to North Melbourne, saying he was the worst on area for the Dockers on Saturday and “not living up to his end of the bargain with Fremantle”.
Fellow columnist Paul Hasleby stated Jackson can be dropped if he wasn’t a high-profile recruit after he began within the ruck in opposition to the Kangaroos.
“Darcy was a great ruckman but we’re now in this position where it looks like Darcy’s lost a bit of confidence, Jackson’s not playing well – I don’t know the answer. My gut feel is if he wasn’t a big-name recruit you’d drop Jackson and you’d actually just get Darcy back into form,” he instructed SEN.
![AFL Match Centre](https://www.perthnow.com.au/static/media/match-centre.ac1548c7.png)
“Jackson hasn’t proven anything really in the AFL. He played a great quarter in the (2021) grand final but all last year if we’re being brutally honest it was just average football from him.”
![PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: Luke Jackson of the Dockers in action during the 2023 AFL Round 02 match between the Fremantle Dockers and the North Melbourne Kangaroos at Optus Stadium on March 25, 2023 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)](https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-10177613/0f640c7bb4496e60f990ed75637024a86b09ab45.jpg?imwidth=668&impolicy=pn_v3)
Dockers vice-captain Caleb Serong backed Jackson and Darcy to seek out their mojo collectively within the ensuing weeks regardless of the underwhelming begin.
“They’re two proper games into playing with each other, there’s nothing like real games,” he stated.
“Those two are going to keep improving and they’re both still very young guys, that chemistry will get better game by game, week by week.”
The Dockers’ prime 4 hopes will go on the road simply three weeks into the season after they face West Coast at Optus Stadium on Sunday.
Source: www.perthnow.com.au