Football
15 August, 2025
Roo still a Saint at heart: Darcy Tucker shares AFL journey
It's often said that from little things big things grow, and that's true in the case of AFL's Darcy Tucker.
Tucker made a humble start to his career in footy with the Horsham Saints before eventually being drafted to Fremantle, where he played 108 games, and now North Melbourne, where he has racked up 41 matches.
Currently, the defender/midfielder is on the long-term injury list after hurting his back earlier in the season and requiring surgery.
But he chatted with Wimmera Mallee News about his early years growing up in the region and his pathway to AFL, as well as what he has learned since playing the sport he loves professionally.
And his football may have taken him across states but Tucker still describes himself as just a boy from Horsham.
Attending both primary and secondary school in the town before moving to Ballarat for boarding school when he was 16, Tucker said he played footy for the Horsham Saints all through juniors but did play minis at Horsham United.
Duiring his time in Ballarat, Tucker played for North Ballarat Rebels.
"Dad was involved there (Horsham United) but by the time I got to under 12s I had gone to Horsham Saints," he reflected.
"Football-wise, I started early: Auskick at four or five, because Dad got me into footy as soon as I could walk, which was good, and I thank him for that.
"Early childhood memories, I was always a sports fanatic, loved my footy from day dot, but I loved any sport so I played a lot of basketball as well – that was my second main sport.
"Basketball and footy: I was always juggling through the pathway."
But Tucker admits he gave any sport a crack, adding that he also dabbled in athletics, school swimming and tennis.
"I just tried anything because I loved being active, I loved watching sport on TV and I aspired to be an athlete one day," he said.
"I loved what sport brought to you growing up, the enjoyment of it, the friends made, the aspect of the community with it as well."
Asked what he did outside of school and sport, Tucker laughed.
"That's hard to relate," he said, "because when I had spare time I was honestly on the road kicking the footy with Dad or even just outside by myself kicking the footy or hitting tennis against the wall.
"Growing up, any spare time I had I was putting that into sports because I genuinely was just a sports fanatic."
Making use of the extremely limited opportunities when Tucker wasn't practising sport, he said he rode his bike around town or enjoyed a dip in the river.
He and his family also managed to squeeze going to Melbourne to watch a game or two of AFL each year, and, being an avid St Kilda fan, Tucker said he was at both the Saints' drawn and then losing grand finals in 2010.
"Being able to get to one or two games a year was awesome, being from Horsham," Tucker said.
"And memories of that, I guess, inspired me to be out there one day and I was fortunate and lucky enough for that dream to come true."
Asked when he realised his dream could become a reality, he said although it was always on his mind, when it became achievable in his head was when he made his first representative side.
"I made the under 12 Victorian state team which was crazy, being a kid from Horsham, because there were so many try-outs, starting out in Horsham, then the Wimmera and then multiple trips to Melbourne each week to try out," reflected Tucker.
"Being a country kid, you aren't exposed to levels of footy like that before so I suppose, when I made that team, I thought I was one of the top kids in the state at that age so I thought if I continuted on the pathway there was an opportunity to make more representative sides as I got older.
"That was only a little taste of what could become possible but it probably became more serious from under 16 level when I made the Victorian country team.
"When I thought I had a good opportunity of making it, from the under 16s they do an AIS (Australian Institute of Sport) squad and when I made that, that's when I got exposed to the AFL clubs and coaches.
"With the AIS squad I think it's only 30 kids from all over the country so a lot of the kids from that group were drafted."
Tucker was one of those drafted, going at pick 27 in the 2015 national draft, and said the lead-up to selection was "nerve-racking".
"When I look back on it, it's a fair process," he said.
"Through the AIS squad, over the couple of years leading into the draft you'd speak to multiple recruiters from clubs and get a bit of a taste of the interview process.
"So those couple of years were a bit of a whirlwind in a sense of everything that happened, but in the lead-up to the actual draft I was one of the lucky ones who wasn't getting to the night thinking 'Am I going to get drafted or not?' – it was just a matter of where I went in the draft.
"I'd spoken to every club and there was an indication of my range being anywhere from pick five to 30, and I went 27 in the end, which was awesome."
Despite having a good indication he was going to be drafted, Tucker said he still had some anxiety about where he was going to go but, ultimately, he was happy to go anywhere.
"Getting drafted to Fremantle was a shock," Tucker said.
"It was probably more upsetting for Dad and Mum, letting me go, but for me, I was excited to go anywhere and Fremantle had been a strong club at the time.
"It was a bit of a shock knowing I had to pack my bags and go to WA straight away but I was extremely excited to have my dream come true."
Tucker made his AFL debut in round five of the 2016 AFL season against Carlton and, six seasons later, he played his 100th AFL game when the Dockers beat Geelong in round seven of 2022.
Tucker said he learned a lot during his time at Fremantle, especially reflecting back on it.
"My first coach there was Ross Lyon and at the time I probably didn't appreciate it, but I thought he developed certain tough lessons early for me which have held me in good stead as a player," he said.
"He was probably known for (being a coach), back in the day at Fremantle, who wouldn't play the kids or would make sure they bided their time and got taught lessons early before they could break into the AFL team, and for me, I was lucky to play early and get 12 games into my first year.
"I was into and out of the team a fair bit and at the time I probably thought it was harsh, but looking back on it, the reasons why I was out of the team taught me some solid lessons to shape the way I could play footy for the rest of my career."
Tucker was traded to the Kangaroos following the 2022 season and said he was excited to be moving back closer to home.
"It was always on the cards – it was just a matter of when," Tucker said.
"I absolutely loved my time at Freemantle and I miss my time there as well.
"I love the boys, I love the club and I have good relationships not just with the players but with the staff as well.
"But it was probably just time.
"My partner is also a Victorian girl: we've been together since secondary school and she was good enough to make the shift over after my first year.
"So it was always on the cards we would come back eventually; it was just a matter of when.
"After seven years at the club, a couple of opportunities opened up and it seemed like the right thing and the right time in both of our lives."
One of the perks of being back in Victoria playing footy is that Tucker is able to get back to the Wimmera more to visit his family who still live there.
And the importance of that connection of family and friends isn't lost on him.
"When I was in Perth, at the time I wasn't surrounded by family and friends so a lot of it is like a footy bubble," he said,
"Life was just about footy, footy, footy, whereas what I've liked about coming back to Victoria is I have my friends I grew up with, friends from school and family I'm surrounded by.
"Life isn't all about footy over here so I have a bit more of a balance.
"That's probably the main thing I have enjoyed: getting back to family and friends and setting up our lives for the future."
As for his time at North, Tucker said they were a group that was young, and at 28, he was classified as one of the older players.
"How that I have developed there is probably more as a person than anything," he said.
"Coming to North, I've had to be more of a leader and help out the young kids, be more of someone who is driving and setting the standards rather than following.
"As a player I have been able to play multiple roles, which has been good for me.
"This year I have had a big injury that ended my season but outside of that I have been able to put together some continuity in my footy, which has been awesome."
Tucker had back surgery about 12 weeks ago but is now back running.
He said his focus at the moment was on rehabilitation.
"A lot of it in the early days was getting the strength back around the back," he said.
"But all that has passed now and I am back out on the track doing running sessions, and although I have run out of time to play footy, I should be going into the off-season with an unrestricted program so I can complete a full pre-season next year."
And depsite his injury, Tucker said he still had the desire to play at the highest level.
"At 28 years old I still have heaps to give, which is a good thing, and I still absolutely love fulfilling my dream every day," he said.
"I'm always looking for challenges on how to get better so I just see this as a stepping-stone in my career and a learning opportunity to get better as a person and continue to grow."
But what about when his AFL career does draw to an end: will he pull the Horsham Saints jumper back on one last time?
"It's a good question," he laughed.
"We'll have to see how the body holds up when I finish AFL, but I think I've promised a few people I will at least play one game back there so we'll see how we go."
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