Jack Ison during the Coates Talent League Quarter Final between Sandringham and Oakleigh at Shepley Oval on September 7, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
IT’S never nice getting dropped. But for Jack Ison, it turned his season around.
Ison was disappointed when, midway through Vic Metro’s Marsh AFL National Under-18 Boys Championships earlier this season, a conversation with his coaches centred around the prospect of him getting rotated out of the side for its must-win clash against the Allies in Queensland.
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Having been held goalless through Vic Metro’s opening two games against South Australia and Western Australia, Ison was told he wasn’t having enough of a scoreboard impact to keep his place. But the chat lit a spark for what lay ahead in 2025.
“It was probably the best thing that could have happened to me,” Ison told AFL.com.au.
“Getting dropped from that team, it was definitely a lot of fuel into the fire. I wanted to prove a lot of those selectors wrong and prove to them they made a mistake. Going forward, it was about attacking every training session the way I would for a game.
“I just used it as fuel for the rest of the season. They said I wasn’t providing enough scoreboard impact. But I’d been big on using others if they were in a better position. At the end of the day, it was the best thing to happen to me.”
Jack Ison in action during Vic Metro’s Marsh AFL National Under-18 Boys Championships clash against Vic Country on July 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Ison, a 192cm mid-forward who is tied to Carlton’s Next Generation Academy, returned at APS level with Scotch College and at Coates Talent League level with the Oakleigh Chargers a different player. Now, he had a chip on his shoulder.
He would find his way back into Vic Metro’s side for its final championships game, winning 17 disposals, seven marks, six score involvements and kicking 1.2 against Vic Country, before a seriously impressive end to the season with the Chargers.
His final month included games worth 22 disposals and two goals against Tasmania, 20 disposals and eight inside 50s against Sandringham, 30 disposals and a goal against Calder, then another 27 disposals in a finals-exiting loss to the Dragons.
It shot Ison into first-round calculations ahead of the Telstra AFL Draft, with some clubs of the belief that Carlton may even have to match a bid on the Academy-tied youngster inside the first 20 selections.
Jack Ison in action during Oakleigh’s Coates Talent League quarter-final against Sandringham on September 7, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Carlton is well stocked to claim Ison, who officially nominated the Blues under NGA rules last month. The club currently holds picks No.9, 11, 43 and 54 and is also considering trades for more points to snare both him and father-son prospect Harry Dean.
The pair have spent the best part of the last four years together as part of the Carlton Academy and trained alongside each other at Ikon Park across the last pre-season in an attempt to get up to speed before hopefully finding their way to the Blues.
“Me and Harry did a bit of training together,” Ison said.
“We didn’t have much to do with each other before the Carlton Academy stuff. Getting to become mates with him, he’s a great fella and a great footy player as well. I’m keen to hopefully keep training and playing with him in the future.
“We were in there every Friday for about five or six weeks. We spent the whole days with the boys, from 7.30am right up until about 4pm. That was an unreal experience. Patrick Cripps was great to us, as he is to everyone. He’s a leader, obviously.
“But all of the young boys were great. I knew Jagga Smith and Cooper Lord going into that, having played school footy with them. But Sam Walsh and Adam Cerra, they were great role models.”
Cody Walker and Harry Dean of Victoria Country and Tyson Gresham and Jack Ison of Victoria Metro after the Marsh AFL National U18 Boys Championships at RSEA Park on July 20, 2025. Picture: AFL Photos
Ison, a proud Yorta Yorta and Wiradjuri man, is eligible to head to Carlton through his Indigenous background. This year, he designed Indigenous jumpers for both his local Parkside Football Club and for Scotch College.
“It was an awesome experience,” Ison said.
“Me and Mingara Clark, who is a good mate of mine and is also in Carlton’s Academy, we designed our local club’s jersey. Scotch caught wind of that and asked us to do the Scotch jumper as well.
“It was a great experience. On top of that, me and the other Indigenous boys taught all of the other Scotch fellas a war cry. We got to do that against Haileybury in Indigenous Round this year. It was pretty special.
“Being Indigenous is a big part of my identity and who I am. It’s a big part of why I play footy as well. I’ve got heaps of role models in Adam Goodes and Cyril Rioli and I’d love to be a role model for the future generations coming through.”
Ison likely won’t know officially whether he’s Carlton bound until it’s determined where a rival’s bid is placed on draft night. However, having started with the Blues as a young teenager, he’s hopeful to soon call Ikon Park his home.
“Nothing’s set in stone,” Ison said.
“I’d like to think they’re interested at the moment, but I haven’t thought about it too much. There’s nothing I can do in terms of that, so I don’t try and stress too much about it. But, obviously, I’d love to go to Carlton.”
