Luke Jackson has been on the precipice of a breakout campaign for several seasons, and it finally arrived in full force in 2025, averaging career-best numbers across the board with 17.8 disposals, 3.4 clearances and 6.0 score involvements per game.
The 24-year-old's athleticism makes him one of the more dangerous ruck-forward threats in the competition, and with the new ruck duel rules set to be introduced in 2026, he's likely to be even more dominant in those contests.
However, his growing repertoire isn't set to end there, with Jackson revealing he has been learning the intricacies of the inside midfielder role during the pre-season.
"I've spent most of my time just learning running patterns. There's a lot that goes into playing as an inside mid," Jackson said.
"I like being able to play different roles and all across the ground. I've still got heaps of learnings in that midfield role, but I like to help the team out anywhere.
“I'm just learning off all the different players in there."
Should Jackson adapt to the inside midfielder role, his big-bodied presence could elevate an already electric Dockers midfield even further.
At 199cm tall, Jackson's frame sizes up quite similarly to Hawthorn midfielder Conor Nash, who has thrived as hard-nosed midfielder under Sam Mitchell, leading Hawthorn in both hard-ball gets and tackles last year while supporting the likes of the more agile midfielders in Jai Newcombe, James Worpel and Will Day.
Jackson was one of the AFL's leading ruckmen in contested possessions in 2025, and ranked as one of Fremantle's top hard-ball gets leaders and tackle leaders, highlighting his potential to succeed in a similar role surrounding Serong, Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young.
While obviously Jackson would be best utilised as a ruck-forward threat more often than not, admitting that the "ruck comes pretty naturally" to him, and that he has "a lot of learning to do" in the midfield, the opportunity to play that dynamic role could be readily available, depending on senior coach Justin Longmuir's selection decisions.
The signing of 211cm premiership Magpie Mason Cox may help open that unique role should he be named in the best 23, while Sean Darcy has proven he can share the ruck workload in an effective way with Jackson last season, allowing the pair to interchange between a variety of positions during a match.
As Fremantle get their 2026 season underway with a scratch match against West Coast on February 18, how senior coach Justin Longmuir looks to experiment with his versatile star will be a point of intrigue that will be must-watch as the year goes on.
But as seen during the club's match sim on Friday, Jackson could very well establish himself as a genuine midfielder in 2026.
