Melbourne young gun Luke Jackson had a boiled temporary mouthguard made for him during his side's Qualifying Final win over Brisbane after losing two teeth during the match, his assistant coach Troy Chaplin revealed.
The 2021 Rising Star winner lost his two front teeth after an incident during his side’s victory over the Lions and was forced to try alternative measures to play out the game.
“Going forward he’s going to be wearing a mouthguard, that’s a certainty. He got one made at three-quarter time, the old chemist job where you boil it,” Chaplin told Sportsday WA.
“He looks like an ice hockey player at the moment.
“At the moment (his teeth) don’t look too good, but next week he gets it fixed.”
One of the teeth that Jackson had knocked out was a false tooth he’s had since primary school, while the other was a ‘good’ tooth.
Chaplin revealed the 19-year old’s mother was upset with her son post-match, having previously paid to fix his teeth.
“He doesn’t wear a mouthguard … I don’t think his mum was too happy with him,” Chaplin said.
“They did a zoom call after the game with all the parents, and she said she was sick of paying for his teeth.”
Jackson, who is a popular teammate in his second year at the Demons, has had a lot to do with the club’s resurgence up the ladder.
“He’s a ripping kid and a bit of a character amongst the boys so when you see him without the two front teeth you can’t help but laugh at the big fella,” Chaplin said.
The third pick overall in 2019 AFL draft was a runaway winner in this year’s Rising Star award, averaging 10 hit-outs and just under a goal a game.