45 Facts About Sydney Stack

Sydney Stack played junior representative football with Perth in the WAFL and represented Western Australia at national championships at under 18 level where he was named All-Australian in 2018.

Sydney Stack was born in Northam, Western Australia, a country town 97 kilometres east-northeast of Perth.

One of seven children, Sydney Stack endured a difficult childhood including living under the care of many different relatives as a result of substance abuse, mental illness and criminal convictions in his direct family.

Sydney Stack's father was jailed for criminal offences in 2004 and after moving with his mother between homes in Northam, Perth, Bunbury and Koongamia, he returned to Northam at age six where he was raised under the care of his aunt.

Sydney Stack relocated to Koongamia to live under the care of his brother at age 11, before shifting again to live with his sister at age 12 and then return to Northam under his Aunt's care at age 13.

Sydney Stack remained there for three years, returning to local football before moving yet again at age 16 into the care of other relatives while sporadically attending high school at Northam Senior High School through the end of year 11 classes.

Sydney Stack continued to experience housing uncertainty during his late teenage years, including living with extended family members, with his sister in Bunbury, with friends in Darwin and in a home for country footballers in Perth.

At that time, Sydney Stack played Colts football for Perth in the junior ranks of the WAFL including in 2017 where he held averages of 18 disposals per game.

Sydney Stack travelled to New Zealand as part of a junior Australian team that played the New Zealand national senior team in an exhibition match in April 2017.

Sydney Stack spent just one match on the sidelines however, earning a place in the tournaments second round where he was one of the state's best players with 23 disposals and four clearances.

Sydney Stack moved to Melbourne in December 2018 and temporarily moved in with the family of coach Damien Hardwick.

Sydney Stack impressed during his trial and in February 2019, was signed by the club under the AFL's newly introduced pre-season supplemental selection rules.

Sydney Stack was among Richmond's best players in his debut match, kicking a goal, recording 17 disposals and taking eight marks.

Sydney Stack held his spot at AFL level the following week before recording 22 disposals against Sydney in round 5 where he was named among Richmond's best players by The Age.

Sydney Stack gained significant fan and media attention in round 6's ANZAC Day eve win over Melbourne where he took a spectacular mark that was nominated for the AFL's Mark of the Week and laid a brutal-but-legal bump on Melbourne captain Jack Viney that resulted in a two-week shoulder injury to the receiving Viney.

In round 10's Dreamtime at the 'G Indigenous culture celebration match, Sydney Stack participated in the club's pre-game war cry usually performed by non-playing club representatives.

Sydney Stack was named in the AFL Media Team of the Week for round 13 following as loss to Adelaide in which he recorded 22 disposals.

Sydney Stack was exceptional in his first time playing that role, kicking four goals in a performance that saw him named among Richmond's best players by the Herald Sun, The Age and AFL Media.

Sydney Stack returned for one match at AFL level but was omitted from the senior side in round 22 following a 12 disposal performance.

Sydney Stack underwent surgery to repair what was revealed to be a syndesmosis injury and with a recovery time frame of four weeks, was at risk of missing the entirety of the club's AFL and VFL finals series.

Sydney Stack returned to football in the club's VFL grand final, five weeks after his initial injury.

Sydney Stack played on reduced minutes and suffered a fresh minor rolled ankle in the match, notching a total of six disposals as his side won the club's first reserves premiership since 1997.

Sydney Stack was considered sufficiently fit to be named an emergency for the following week's AFL grand final, though he would go unselected in the final premiership-winning side.

At season's end, Sydney Stack placed third in the league's Rising Star award and was named in the AFL players' association's 22under22 team, which recognises the best young players in the league.

Sydney Stack placed equal 13th in the club's best and fairest count and won the Cosgrove-Jenkins award as Richmond's best first year player.

Sydney Stack began pre-season training in November 2019 and spent the summer training as a half-back and a small forward.

Sydney Stack returned to the club's AFL lineup with appearances in each of the club's two pre-season matches, including a 20-disposal, eight-tackle outing in the final match of the series which featured a spectacular mark over Greater Western Sydney forward Toby Greene.

Sydney Stack's performances earned him selection for the season-opening win over Carlton a fortnight later, played under extraordinary conditions imposed on the league as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia.

Sydney Stack continued as a half-back for a further two matches, but was dropped from the club's round 5 side following multiple goal-costing errors among outputs that included six and four clangers in rounds 3 and 4, respectively.

Sydney Stack played midfield minutes in two unofficial scratch matches held in place of the cancelled VFL season over the coming month, including one played alongside players from Melbourne and Geelong due to the limited availability of players after a virus outbreak in Melbourne saw all Victorian-based clubs relocated to the Gold Coast with partial playing groups.

Sydney Stack was eventually recalled to AFL level in round 9, splitting time between the forward line and midfield for the first time in his career, while laying a then career-best seven tackles.

Sydney Stack continued to play midfield and forward minutes in AFL matches through the club's round 13 Dreamtime in Darwin Indigenous celebration game, before a minor hip injury saw him miss the club's round 14 match against West Coast.

Sydney Stack was ineligible to play until round 5, given the remaining four matches on his 2020 suspension.

Sydney Stack was delisted at the end of the 2022 season, having only played 9 games over the past two seasons.

Sydney Stack is capable of playing many positions, including as a half-back or small forward, where he split his time in his first AFL and VFL seasons.

Richmond's coaching staff said in 2019 that with improved fitness, Sydney Stack would be expected to move into a midfield role later in his AFL career.

Sydney Stack is cousin to Collingwood forward Bobby Hill and shares a relation to former Western Bulldogs player Brennan Sydney Stack.

In November 2019, Sydney Stack began a relationship with Richmond AFL Women's midfielder Monique Conti.

Sydney Stack began dating Fremantle AFLW draftee Mikayla Morrison in December 2020.

Sydney Stack is an Aboriginal Australian man of the Noongar people.

On 10 December 2020, Sydney Stack travelled to his home state of West Australia to attend a family funeral.

Sydney Stack was arrested by police at the scene for allegedly breaching his isolation requirements, both by being out in public and by relocating to a Belmont residence in the days prior.

Sydney Stack was charged with failing to comply with a direction and was refused bail at a preliminary hearing the following day.

Sydney Stack was held on remand in Perth's Hakea Prison, where he completed a fresh 14-day health isolation period.

Sydney Stack was granted bail after a bail application hearing on 8 January 2021 and following a total of 19 days in the prison.