55 Facts About Jacob Townsend

Jacob Townsend was born on 20 June 1993 and is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Southport Football Club in the Victorian Football League.

Jacob Townsend previously played professionally for Greater Western Sydney, Richmond, Essendon and the Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League.

Jacob Townsend won an AFL premiership with Richmond in 2017 while winning the VFL's JJ Liston Trophy in the same year during matches played with Richmond's reserves side, before winning a VFL premiership with the same reserves side in 2019.

Jacob Townsend played junior football in the area, with the local Leeton-Whitton Football Club in the Riverina Football League.

Jacob Townsend first took up the sport at age 13, after playing junior rugby union for a number of years with the Leeton Phantoms.

Jacob Townsend attended St Francis de Sales Regional College in Leeton.

Jacob Townsend was runner-up in the club's best and fairest count that season.

Jacob Townsend was the only NSW player to earn selection that year.

Jacob Townsend moved to Sydney in October 2010 and completed his schooling there through the end of 2011.

Jacob Townsend was recruited to the GWS Giants through zoning concessions and signed his first contract while still in high school in 2010, opting out of a potential nomination in for the AFL draft in the process.

Jacob Townsend would go on to train and play for the club in matches prior to its introduction to the AFL in 2012.

Jacob Townsend made his AFL debut in round 1,2012 in the Giants' inaugural match against Sydney at ANZ Stadium.

Jacob Townsend kicked his first career goal two weeks later, in round 3 against West Coast.

Injuries were a heavy impediment to game time that season, with Jacob Townsend playing only two matches at reserves level in addition to his 11 at AFL level.

Jacob Townsend was awarded the Coaches award at the club's inaugural award presentation.

Jacob Townsend played his first match of the 2013 AFL season in round 4, but was immediately omitted from the side the following week.

Jacob Townsend returned in round 6 for a further two weeks before being dropped for a second time.

Jacob Townsend played in a further five matches that season including in round 14 where Jacob Townsend was involved in an incident with Lindsay Thomas that saw the North Melbourne player suspended for headbutting.

Jacob Townsend had played eight matches at AFL level in 2013.

Jacob Townsend remained in the senior side for the next two round before being dropped following a five touch match in round 4.

Jacob Townsend returned to senior football in round 10 and played in the next four consecutive matches.

Jacob Townsend fell even further out of favour with Giants selectors in 2015, with a combination of form and a foot injury keeping him relegated to reserves football in the NEAFL for almost the entire season.

Jacob Townsend played just one match, in the final round of the year against Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

Jacob Townsend recorded a career high 22 disposals in the match, along with six tackles and four clearances.

Jacob Townsend faced a limited training program during his first pre-season as a result of a minor ankle injury.

Jacob Townsend played again the following week before being dropped from the club's round 3 side.

Jacob Townsend returned to senior football in round 5, but only for one match.

Jacob Townsend played just once more that season, in round 14 when he recorded nine disposals against Brisbane.

Jacob Townsend spent the vast majority of the 2017 season playing reserves grade football with Richmond's VFL side.

Jacob Townsend eventually played his first senior match of the season in round 22, when he replaced the injured Josh Caddy in a forward role.

In what was ultimately a 104-point Tiger victory, Jacob Townsend contributed a match-high six goals.

Jacob Townsend's form guaranteed he would retain his spot into the finals series, despite Caddy returning to fitness and to the senior side.

Jacob Townsend opened up Richmond's finals campaign with two goals on just three disposals, helping this side to a qualifying final victory over Geelong.

Jacob Townsend added another goal in the preliminary final as Richmond won their way to a Grand Final match-up with minor premiers Adelaide.

Jacob Townsend went on to feature in Richmond's premiership winning team, kicking two goals in the 48-point win.

Jacob Townsend finished the year having played five games at senior level and 15 matches with the reserves, kicking 16 and 14 goals respectively.

Jacob Townsend ranked number one at Richmond and second in the AFL for goals per game that year as well as fifth in the league for tackles inside 50 per game.

Jacob Townsend kicked an equal team-high four goals in that win and attracted significant praise for his defensive role on Carlton interceptor Liam Jones.

Jacob Townsend added another haul of three goals in round 4 but after a run of five straight games at senior level, was omitted from the club's round 6 team to play Collingwood.

Jacob Townsend returned after just one match out however, and played a further three matches at AFL level before being dropped again in round 10 in favour of genuine tall-forward Callum Moore.

Jacob Townsend earned an AFL recall in round 19, replacing the omitted Moore.

Jacob Townsend had played 10 senior matches and kicked 12 goals at AFL level in addition to seven matches and seven goals in the reserves competition.

Jacob Townsend did not receive a contract extension offer from Richmond during the 2018 season and media reports in July suggested Jacob Townsend's future at the club would depend heavily on the free-agency decision of Richmond-linked former Gold Coast captain Tom Lynch.

Jacob Townsend was delisted by Richmond at the end of that period, but with the understanding that he would be re-selected in the upcoming rookie draft if he failed to find a contract with another AFL club.

Jacob Townsend appeared close to deals with both Sydney and his former club the GWS Giants in the weeks that followed, undergoing medical exams at each.

Jacob Townsend spent the majority of the 2019 pre-season training period on the sidelines, continuing to deal with the continuing effects of his 2018 leg injury as well as other related lower leg complications.

Jacob Townsend managed only an equal career-low three disposals and went goalless in that match, immediately dropped backed to VFL level.

Jacob Townsend remained with the club's minor-premiership-winning VFL side through to the start of their finals series, playing an important role in a come-from-behind qualifying final win over the Essendon reserves.

Jacob Townsend contributed in a VFL preliminary final a fortnight later, as Richmond's reserves won through to that league's grand final.

Jacob Townsend kicked a goal in the Richmond VFL side that defeated Williamstown the following week, helping win the club's first reserves grade premiership since 1997.

Jacob Townsend finished 2019 having played just one match at AFL level but was Richmond's equal-leading goalkicker in the reserves, with 21 goals across 18 games including that year's VFL premiership.

Jacob Townsend signed with Essendon during the pre-season supplemental selection period on 4 December 2019.

Rather than continuing in his Richmond role as a defensive forward, Jacob Townsend was informed upon signing of the club's intention to use him as an inside midfielder, a role which he had played extensively at reserves level and in the early part of his career at AFL level.

Jacob Townsend was delisted by Essendon at the conclusion of the 2020 season.

Jacob Townsend was rookie drafted by the Gold Coast Suns with pick 5 on Thursday afternoon.