Nathan Clarke is a former Australian rules football

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 with the Brisbane Lions

Brisbane Lions

The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...

 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).

Clarke was recruited by Brisbane through the rookie draft, from Maroochydore in Queensland. His father, Barry, is a half forward flanker in the state's official Team of the Century

Team of the Century

Team of the Century and Team of the Decade are terms used in team sport to name a hypothetical best team over a given time period.For the century team, it can be either 100 years, or for a century...

.

A utility, he played his first game late in the 2000 AFL season, against Hawthorn

Hawthorn Football Club

The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...

 at the GABBA

Gabba

- Music :* Gabber , a subgenre of techno in electronic music.* Gabba , a tribute band covering the pop songs of ABBA in the punk style of The Ramones* Gabba Front Berlin, a 1990s German techno band of gabba music...

. In a memorable league debut, Clarke kicked two goals, took 10 marks and had 18 disposals. After appearing just twice in 2001, a Brisbane premiership year, he was delisted by the Lions. Clarke then nominated for the 2001 AFL Draft

2001 AFL Draft

The 2001 AFL Draft consisted of a national draft, a rookie draft, a pre-season draft and a trade period. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League .In 2001 there were 83...

 and was redrafted by Brisbane with pick 45, which they had received in the Trent Knobel

Trent Knobel

Trent Knobel is a former Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League.Knobel, a ruckman originally from the Gold Coast, was recruited to the AFL in his home state with the Brisbane Lions onto their rookie list. He made his debut in 2000 after a rookie elevation...

 trade. He wasn't able to break into the seniors in 2002 and was delisted again, at the end of the year.

He is now the coach of the Brisbane Lions reserves side which compete in the North East Australian Football League

North East Australian Football League

The North East Australian Football League is an Australian rules football league in New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory in Australia...

. Previously he played in Canberra

Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...

, where he captain-coached Eastlake

Eastlake Football Club

Eastlake Football Club is a semi-professional Australian rules football club based in the inner-south of Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. They compete in the North East Australian Football League.-Championship Success:...

.