Xavier Clarke (born 28 September 1983) is an Indigenous Australian rules football player with the AFL's Brisbane Lions.

[edit] Early Life

Xavier has Indigenous Australian heritage and his ancestry can be traced to the Gambalang, a Northern Territory tribe.^[3]

[edit] AFL Career

Clarke was selected by the Saints with the 5th overall pick in the 2001 AFL National Draft. He played 57 games during his first three seasons as a Saint. In the 2005 season, however, Clarke struggled in form and his season was ended early when he injured his hamstring in the Round 17 game against Collingwood.

Originally, Clarke wore No. 20 guernsey. When former St Kilda champion Nathan Burke retired in 2003, he awarded Clarke his No. 3 Guernsey.

Clarke's brother, Raphael, also plays for the Saints. Following the 2009 Season a deal was met that would send Clarke to Brisbane for Pick 60 in the National Draft. ^[4]

[edit] References

1. ^ "Saints are NAB Cup Champions in 2008". Jeld-Wen. 08 March 2008. http://www.jeld-wen.com.au/pr/St-Kilda-2008/20080308.php. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
2. ^ "AFL 2004 Wizard Cup Grand Final - Geelong v St Kilda". Slattery Media Group. 2004-03-13 22:10:53. http://images.slatterymedia.com/image/?image_id=114726. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 
3. ^ AFL Record. Round 9,2009. Slattery Publishing. pg 74.
4. ^ "St Kilda wins NAB cup". The Age. March 8, 2008 - 9:47PM. http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/st-kilda-wins-nab-cup-by-five-points/2008/03/08/1204780132457.html?s_cid=rss_news. Retrieved 2009-11-07. 

[edit] External links

• Xavier Clarke profile on the Official AFL Website of the St Kilda Football Club
• Xavier Clarke's statistics from AFL Tables