11 Facts About Xavier Clarke

Xavier Clarke was born on 28 September 1983 and is a former Australian rules football player who played for St Kilda and Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League.

Originally from Darwin-based St Mary's Football Club in the Northern Territory Football League, Xavier Clarke was a leading junior player and was tipped to be a first round choice at the 2001 AFL Draft.

Xavier Clarke was selected by St Kilda with their first round choice, the fifth overall, in the 2001 AFL Draft was presented with the number 20 guernsey and made his senior AFL debut in the 2002 AFL season, where he was nominated as an AFL Rising Star.

In 2005 Xavier Clarke he struggled in form and his season ended early when he injured his hamstring in Round 17 against Collingwood.

Xavier Clarke continued to struggle with injuries for the rest of his AFL career and following the 2009 AFL season a deal was struck between St Kilda and Brisbane in which Xavier Clarke transferred to Brisbane in exchange for draft pick number 60 in the 2009 AFL Draft.

Xavier Clarke played his only game for Brisbane in the Round 18,2010 loss to Melbourne Football Club at Brisbane's home ground, the Gabba.

Xavier Clarke suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury in the first half, and while he was originally ruled out for a week, Xavier Clarke did not play again.

In 2011, Xavier Clarke almost completed a full preseason when he ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and, although offered a rookie list position by Brisbane, retired from football at the end of the 2011 season.

Xavier Clarke became head coach of the NT Thunder in the NEAFL in 2014.

Xavier Clarke won the league's Coach of the Year award that season before taking them to a premiership in 2015.

Xavier Clarke has worked with the AFL and the AFL Players Association in Indigenous engagement and was a founding director of the Unity Foundation which worked to provide housing and support for homeless Indigenous youth.