Colby McKercher
| Colby McKercher | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 McKercher in March 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Colby McKercher | ||
| Nickname | Sonic | ||
| Born | 12 April 2005 | ||
| Original teams |
Launceston (TSL) Tasmania Devils (Talent League) | ||
| Draft | No. 2, 2023 national draft | ||
| Debut | Round 1, 2024, North Melbourne vs. Greater Western Sydney, at Sydney Showground Stadium | ||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | North Melbourne | ||
| Number | 10 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2024– | North Melbourne | 55 (17) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 17, 2026. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Colby McKercher is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by North Melbourne as the number two pick in the 2023 AFL draft.[1]
He previously played for the Tasmania Devils in the Talent League.
AFL career
[edit]After collecting 18 disposals in North Melbourne's only official pre-season game against St Kilda, McKercher made his official debut for North Melbourne in round one against Greater Western Sydney.[2][3] On debut, McKercher collected 22 disposals and 8 marks in 39-point loss at Sydney Showground Stadium.[4] McKercher continued his good form in his next few games with 22 disposals and 6 marks in round two against Fremantle and 19 disposals and 6 marks in round three against Carlton in the Good Friday Superclash. However, during Gather Round, he only gathered 13 disposals and took no marks, but he laid five tackles during the 70-point loss at Norwood Oval to the reigning grand finalists in the Brisbane Lions.[5][6][7] McKercher played again in round five in their clash against Geelong. However, McKercher ended up getting substituted out of the match due to his collision with opposition player Jeremy Cameron late in the first quarter. McKercher was hospitalised with a rib injury following the incident.[8]
McKercher received a nomination for the 2024 Rising Star award after round nine of the 2024 season, which was his third consecutive match collecting 30 or more disposals.[9] During the season, McKercher set a personal best of 37 disposals on two occasions – firstly, in round 17 against Gold Coast, and secondly in round 22 against West Coast.[10]
During the 2026 season, McKercher hit career-best form, continuing to find the football and hit the scoreboard. His form was epitomised in the round eight clash against Geelong, when he kicked two goals. However, he was criticised by media personalities such as Kane Cornes, who accused him of avoiding contested possessions.[11] McKercher was defended by coach Alistair Clarkson, who backed his young talent to play to his strengths.[12]
Statistics
[edit]Updated to the end of round 17, 2026.[10]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2024 | North Melbourne | 10 | 16 | 0 | 2 | 255 | 126 | 381 | 70 | 29 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 15.9 | 7.9 | 23.8 | 4.4 | 1.8 | 1 |
| 2025 | North Melbourne | 10 | 23 | 12 | 1 | 342 | 190 | 532 | 78 | 40 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 14.9 | 8.3 | 23.1 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 3 |
| 2026 | North Melbourne | 10 | 16 | 5 | 4 | 213 | 133 | 346 | 52 | 39 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 13.3 | 8.3 | 21.6 | 3.3 | 2.4 | |
| Career | 55 | 17 | 7 | 810 | 449 | 1259 | 200 | 108 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 14.7 | 8.2 | 22.9 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 4 | ||
References
[edit]- ↑ "Colby McKercher | AFL". nmfc.com.au. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
- ↑ "AAMI Community Series Match v North Melbourne". saints.com.au. 3 March 2024.
- ↑ "McKercher and Duursma to debut in season opener". nmfc.com.au. 12 March 2024.
- ↑ "GWS v North Melbourne – AFL". afl.com.au. 16 March 2024.
- ↑ "Dockers rally to reel in Roos with nine-goal blitz". afl.com.au. 23 March 2024.
- ↑ "AFL match report: Carlton share the love on Good Friday". carltonfc.com.au. 29 March 2024.
- ↑ "Lions finally break drought as 'ugly, embarrassed' Roos struggle in 70pt blitz – 3-2-1". foxsports.com.au. 5 April 2024.
- ↑ "Kangaroos youngster Colby McKercher sent straight to hospital after innocuous hit with Jeremy Cameron". 7news.com.au. 14 April 2024.
- ↑ Kalinic, Dejan (13 May 2024). "Rebounding Roo earns deserved Rising Star nomination". afl.com.au. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
- 1 2 "Colby McKercher". AFL Tables. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
- ↑ Sutton, Ben (5 May 2026). "North Melbourne young gun Colby McKercher on 'watch' after bad habit uncovered: 'No contest'". Seven Network. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
- ↑ Negrepontis, Nic (8 May 2026). "'That's not his role': North coach Alastair Clarkson snaps back at 'macho' criticism of young star". Nine Network. Retrieved 8 July 2026.
External links
[edit]
- Colby McKercher's profile on the official website of the North Melbourne Football Club
- Colby McKercher's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Colby McKercher at AustralianFootball.com
