49 Facts About Justin Clarke

Justin Clarke was born on 18 November 1993 and is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League from 2012 to 2016.

Justin Clarke completed high school with an ATAR of 99.95.

Justin Clarke spent his first year at the Brisbane Lions on the rookie list and the three years following as a consistent member of the senior team's backline.

Justin Clarke announced his retirement on 31 March 2016 after suffering a severe concussion during a preseason training session.

Justin Clarke grew up on his family's farm just outside of Booleroo Centre, located in the southern Flinders Ranges region of South Australia.

Justin Clarke attended Booleroo Centre District School, graduating in 2011.

Justin Clarke achieved an ATAR of 99.95, the highest possible score.

Justin Clarke had an interest in aviation from a young age.

At the age of around 15, Justin Clarke began studying aviation, and flew his first solo flight before obtaining his driver's licence.

Justin Clarke has described flying as providing an "awesome sense of freedom, being able to leave the bounds of the Earth".

Justin Clarke applied to be a pilot in the Air Force, and despite passing his aptitude tests, he was told he was too tall.

Justin Clarke has stated that throughout his younger years he identified as more of an "academic person", and only began to seriously consider a career in the AFL at 18.

Justin Clarke eventually played one game for North Adelaide in the SANFL reserves, before returning to Booleroo Centre to continue playing for his local club.

Justin Clarke was selected by the Brisbane Lions at pick No 4 in the 2012 Rookie Draft.

Justin Clarke spent his first year on the Lions' rookie list, leaving him ineligible for senior games.

Justin Clarke's impressed his coaches enough to be able to secure a consistent spot in the backline of the reserves team, playing the most NEAFL games of any Lion that year.

The Lions made the grand final, in which Justin Clarke was tasked with marking Eastern Conference Team of the Year full forward James Kavanagh.

Kavanagh scored only a single goal, with Justin Clarke moving forward in the closing stages to kick a goal himself.

Justin Clarke had 7 disposals in his round 5 debut, where the Brisbane Lions were victorious over Melbourne.

Justin Clarke held his place in the senior team until he was suspended for charging Essendon's Elliot Kavanagh, with Clarke arriving late to a marking contest.

Justin Clarke missed the Lions' round 9 game against Carlton.

Justin Clarke played in the famous Miracle on Grass against Geelong, in which the Brisbane Lions overcame a 52-point deficit to win after the siren.

Justin Clarke made 8 disposals and led the Lions in one percenters, with 12.

Justin Clarke cited this game, and the final passage of play, as a standout memory in his AFL career in a "Message to Fans" upon his retirement.

Justin Clarke's season ended after a round 20 loss to Richmond, with a shoulder injury leaving him out of the team for the remainder of the year.

Justin Clarke signed a contract extension at the season's conclusion, keeping him at the Lions until at least the end of the 2016 season.

Justin Clarke scored the first and only goal of his AFL career in round 4 against Port Adelaide, kicking from 55 metres out on the run.

Riewoldt scored two goals, while Justin Clarke provided multiple defensive spoils and intercept marks, again obtaining the most one percenters of any player on the ground.

Justin Clarke was voted as the Lions' player of the round for his performance.

Justin Clarke continued to garner consistent selections in the Lions senior team, playing all but two games in 2015, missing rounds 20 and 21 as a result of a jaw injury.

In rounds 7,8, and 10, Justin Clarke spent no time on the interchange bench, the only player to do so in all of these games.

Justin Clarke spent that Saturday helping the country football club run their games, acting as the runner for one game and umpiring another.

Justin Clarke's forehead collided just above the knee of an onrushing teammate, with Clarke falling towards the ground after being lightly shoved in a marking contest.

Justin Clarke left the session in an ambulance, but was discharged from hospital that same night, after scans found no break or fractures to his neck.

Justin Clarke continued to suffer severe concussion symptoms, with the footballer having "lost all memory of the incident and the succeeding three weeks, as he was all but confined to his house".

Symptoms persisted for months, with Justin Clarke citing an incident where he found himself lost on his route to university as the most confronting, stating "I didn't know how to get there, and that scared me a lot".

On 31 March 2016, Justin Clarke officially announced his retirement at the age of 22, concluding his AFL career with 56 games for the Brisbane Lions.

Justin Clarke received a payout of $700,000 from the AFL as a result of the injury.

Justin Clarke became the third Brisbane Lion to retire as a result of a concussion within 3 years, following Jonathan Brown and Matt Maguire.

In 2017, Justin Clarke became an ambassador of the University of Queensland's Queensland Brain Institute, where he worked to increase concussion awareness and research.

Justin Clarke has particularly stressed the importance of proper management of concussed athletes, noting the inaccuracy of concussion self-assessment.

Justin Clarke has emphasised the importance of concussion symptom awareness, and the importance of athletes understanding the risks of their sport of choice.

Justin Clarke was a member of the winning Men's 8 team for the Queensland State Rowing Championship in 2017.

Justin Clarke returned to cricket, as a fast bowler for Surfers Paradise Cricket Club.

Justin Clarke later joined QAFL team Western Magpies as an assistant coach, where he primarily focused on developing key position players in their knowledge of the game.

Justin Clarke coached the players in correct body positioning during aerial ball contests.

In June 2022, Justin Clarke led the Magdalen 'Badgers' cricket team to their first Cuppers win in over two decades.

Since arriving at Oxford, Justin Clarke has rowed in Magdalen College Boat Club's first boat in both Torpids and Summer Eights.

Justin Clarke was selected as a 2021 Rhodes Scholar and will begin his study at Oxford University in October 2021.