Travis Tuck
Encyclopedia
Travis Tuck is an Australian rules football
er who played for the Hawthorn Hawks in the Australian Football League
(AFL). Tuck was selected with a Father-Son
selection (pick 38) in the 2005 AFL Draft
. Son of Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck
, brother of Richmond
midfielder Shane Tuck
, nephew of Geelong superstar Gary Ablett Sr and cousin of Gold Coast Captain Gary Ablett Jr
, Tuck possesses a remarkable football pedigree. Members of the Tuck family tend to take longer than normal to develop into senior players, but once they get there, they display remarkable durability. Father Michael did not play his first full season in Hawthorn's senior side until he was 22 years of age and his brother Shane played his first full season at Richmond aged 23 after spending three years on Hawthorn's list without playing a senior game.
He debuted in round 17 of 2007 against North Melbourne
and despite a serviceable performance on the day, he made way for a number of returning senior players the following week. This proved to be Tuck's only game for the season.
During the first month of 2008, it seemed that Tuck was enjoying a breakout year. After a string of strong pre-season performances, Tuck was selected in the senior side for Round 1 and remained there in the month that followed. A highlight was a 25 possession Round 2 against Fremantle, where Tuck was named in Hawthorn's best. Injury struck in Round 4, however and it proved to be 9 weeks until he was able to reclaim a place in the Hawks lineup. Tuck played Rounds 13 to 17, before again making way for other players. Tuck was listed as an emergency for the successful 2008 Grand Final side.
Tuck failed to play a match for Hawthorn's senior side in 2010 and on 27 August Tuck was found unconscious in a car by Police and was treated for an alleged drug overdose. Tuck then became the first player to receive a third strike under the AFL's illicit drugs policy. The operations manager for the AFL, Adrian Anderson, stated that Tuck's drug use was "not recreational" and was the result of clinical depression. On the 31 August the AFL Tribunal
suspended Tuck for 12 matches and fined him A$
5000. Tuck continued to train with Hawthorn during the Summer of 2010–11 in the hope of gaining a place on the club's Rookie List for the 2011 season, however he was advised in March 2011 that he had been overlooked in favour of former West Coast
and Melbourne
player, Paul Johnson
.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who played for the Hawthorn Hawks in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL). Tuck was selected with a Father-Son
Father-son rule
The father-son rule is a rule that allows clubs to select the sons of players who have made a major past contribution to the team in Australian rules football, most notably the Australian Football League...
selection (pick 38) in the 2005 AFL Draft
2005 AFL Draft
The 2005 AFL Draft was the 2005 instance of the AFL Draft, the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.The 2005 Draft consisted of a pre-season draft, a national draft, a trade period...
. Son of Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck
Michael Tuck is a seven time premiership winning player, Australian rules footballer with the Hawthorn Football Club in the Victorian Football League / Australian Football League , where he is the games record holder....
, brother of Richmond
Richmond Football Club
The Richmond Football Club, nicknamed The Tigers, is an Australian rules football club which competes in the Australian Football League. Richmond shares healthy rivalries with Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon. After winning five premierships between 1967 and 1980, the club hit the depths in 1990,...
midfielder Shane Tuck
Shane Tuck
Shane Tuck is an Australian Rules footballer and the son of Hawthorn legend and VFL/AFL games record holder Michael Tuck. He is the nephew of Geelong great Gary Ablett Sr and former Hawthorn players Kevin & Geoff Ablett...
, nephew of Geelong superstar Gary Ablett Sr and cousin of Gold Coast Captain Gary Ablett Jr
Gary Ablett, Jr.
Gary Ablett, Jr. is a professional Australian rules football player and current captain of the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League ....
, Tuck possesses a remarkable football pedigree. Members of the Tuck family tend to take longer than normal to develop into senior players, but once they get there, they display remarkable durability. Father Michael did not play his first full season in Hawthorn's senior side until he was 22 years of age and his brother Shane played his first full season at Richmond aged 23 after spending three years on Hawthorn's list without playing a senior game.
He debuted in round 17 of 2007 against North Melbourne
North Melbourne Football Club
The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Kangaroos, is the fourth oldest Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League and is one of the oldest sporting clubs in Australia and the world...
and despite a serviceable performance on the day, he made way for a number of returning senior players the following week. This proved to be Tuck's only game for the season.
During the first month of 2008, it seemed that Tuck was enjoying a breakout year. After a string of strong pre-season performances, Tuck was selected in the senior side for Round 1 and remained there in the month that followed. A highlight was a 25 possession Round 2 against Fremantle, where Tuck was named in Hawthorn's best. Injury struck in Round 4, however and it proved to be 9 weeks until he was able to reclaim a place in the Hawks lineup. Tuck played Rounds 13 to 17, before again making way for other players. Tuck was listed as an emergency for the successful 2008 Grand Final side.
Tuck failed to play a match for Hawthorn's senior side in 2010 and on 27 August Tuck was found unconscious in a car by Police and was treated for an alleged drug overdose. Tuck then became the first player to receive a third strike under the AFL's illicit drugs policy. The operations manager for the AFL, Adrian Anderson, stated that Tuck's drug use was "not recreational" and was the result of clinical depression. On the 31 August the AFL Tribunal
AFL Tribunal
The AFL Tribunal is the disciplinary tribunal of the Australian Football League .-Points system:Source: AFL Tribunal 2011 Guidebook...
suspended Tuck for 12 matches and fined him A$
Australian dollar
The Australian dollar is the currency of the Commonwealth of Australia, including Christmas Island, Cocos Islands, and Norfolk Island, as well as the independent Pacific Island states of Kiribati, Nauru and Tuvalu...
5000. Tuck continued to train with Hawthorn during the Summer of 2010–11 in the hope of gaining a place on the club's Rookie List for the 2011 season, however he was advised in March 2011 that he had been overlooked in favour of former West Coast
West Coast Eagles
The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...
and Melbourne
Melbourne Football Club
The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed The Demons, is an Australian rules football club playing in the Australian Football League , based in Melbourne, Victoria....
player, Paul Johnson
Paul A. Johnson
Paul Johnson is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League .He was drafted by West Coast at number 24 in the 2002 AFL Draft, but played only one game in two seasons with the Eagles....
.