Jack Ziebell Biography

Jack Ziebell is injured in an unprovoked attack outside a South Yarra bar where he had joined some of his teammates and club staff at the venue following a club function to celebrate his final AFL game played earlier that day against Richmond at the MCG.

"Officers have been told a 32-year-old man was assaulted in what is believed to be an unprovoked incident outside a bar on Commercial Road on Sunday 20 August about 1am," a Victoria Police spokesperson told AAP.

"It appears the victim was pushed onto the road by the offender, who was in the company of two other men, before he was punched to the face and kicked when he fell to the ground. The trio then fled the scene. The injured man wasn’t seriously injured."

Jack Ziebell steps down as North Melbourne captain after six years in the role.

"It's been an absolute privilege to lead the North Melbourne Football Club for six seasons, a club that means so much to me and my family," Ziebell said.

"The captaincy has been an unbelievably rewarding role, I feel lucky to have been given the opportunity and I'm a better person for the experience."

Jack Ziebell is expected to be sidelined for at least the next month after suffering a facial fracture that will require surgery.

Jack Ziebell will lead a new-look Kangaroos leadership group in his fifth year as captain for the North Melbourne Football Club.

Luke McDonald and Jy Simpkin have been elected as co vice-captains, while Robbie Tarrant, Ben Cunnington, and Kayne Turner, round out the group.

Jack Ziebell re-injures his hamstring late in the first quarter of North Melbourne's 54-point loss to Richmond despite what Kangaroos coach Rhyce Shaw describes was a conservative approach by the club in sending its captain back on the field from injury.

"I thought we did a really good job in bringing Jack back. He was pretty much right to go last week but we took the cautious route and it's ended up like this. It's a bit of bad luck for Jack," Shaw said.

Jack Ziebell will miss up to two months after suffering a high-grade medial strain in the third quarter of North Melbourne's victory over St Kilda.

Despite the injury, Ziebell is unlikely to miss any AFL senior games following the suspension of the 2020 AFL season due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Jack Ziebell will lead North Melbourne as captain again in 2020, with a leadership group that has doubled in size.

Ben Cunnington, Trent Dumont, Jasper Pittard and youngster Jy Simpkin have been promoted to the eight-man contingent ahead of Rhyce Shaw's first full season in charge.

Jamie Macmillan has retained his place, while Shaun Higgins has been elevated to vice-captain alongside 2019 deputy Robbie Tarrant.

"I reckon it's a really really good group in terms of its diversity," Roos coach Rhyce Shaw said.

"We've got guys that have been there for a period of time and a great crop of first-timers in Trent, Jy, Ben and Jasper who have all put in some real work to better themselves as players, teammates and people."

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott praises Jack Ziebell's courage again at North's best and fairest.

"There were times throughout the season when we wanted to rest him, mainly to protect him from himself, because of a broken collarbone, because of cracked ribs (and) a severely injured toe, which he's had fixed up just recently," Scott said.

"Jack simply refused to lie down and pushed through a lot of the time at his own expense."

Jack Ziebell is booked in for surgery following the end of North Melbourne's 2017 season.

"Jack battled bravely throughout the year with a number of injuries, the most recent being his big toe which prevented him from playing in rounds 18, 21 and 23 based on specialist advice," Kangaroos football manager Cameron Joyce said.

"Jack showed great courage and leadership by making it through the season under some duress and was touch-and-go for the final game but wasn't able to get up unfortunately."

Jack Ziebell has been cleared to play the remainder of the season, with medical specialists confident the midfielder is at little risk of further damaging his injured left foot.

"We actually sought a second opinion, and the second opinion was exactly the same as the first," North Melbourne coach Brad Scott said.

"We're really confident that there's very little risk – I mean there's always a risk in any contact sport – but the surgeon's advice is that he's right to play, and it's pain-permitting, so that rarely stops Jack."

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott says Jack Ziebell is still likely to play in the final two games of the season despite requiring surgery on his left foot.

"We'll keep listening to the surgeons and medical advice and make sure we're not putting him at risk," Scott said.

"The advice at this stage is to see how it pulls up week-to-week and hopefully we can manage it through."

North Melbourne coach Brad Scott praises Jack Ziebell after the courageous midfielder kicked a career-best five goals whilst playing with sore ribs.

"Ziebell is a class act, we'd love to have him forward more often, but it also meant we were very thin in the midfield and we got badly beaten there in the second half," Scott said.

Jack Ziebell is appointed as North Melbourne's new captain for the upcoming 2017 season.

"It's a huge honour to captain a club with such a proud history," Ziebell said.

"Since my first day here, I've always wondered what it would be like to lead this great club."

Ziebell takes over from Andrew Swallow, who relinquished the captaincy at the end of last season after five years in the role.

"He (Swallow) has done an outstanding job and leaves some big shoes to fill," Ziebell said.

"I'll definitely be leaning on Andrew for some guidance in the role."

Jack Ziebell says he would be happy to be captain of North Melbourne.

"I've thought about it a little bit and it's something that I've aspired to do," Ziebell said.

"But in saying that, I've said publicly before that if I was to captain or I wasn't to captain it probably wouldn't change much of my actions and the way I go about my football.

"I'm about trying to help my teammates improve, as well as myself, and drive this footy club to hopefully its next premiership."

Robbie Tarrant caps off a career-best 2016 season with his maiden North Melbourne best and fairest award, winning the club's Syd Barker Medal count narrowly from vice-captain Jack Ziebell.

Tarrant polled 263 votes to pip Ziebell by six votes, while hard-running midfielder Sam Gibson finished third on 234 votes.

Jack Ziebell has downplayed speculation he will replace Andrew Swallow as North Melbourne captain next season, saying he sees no reason for a leadership change.

"I haven't spoken to the coach (Brad Scott) or anyone about that. There are a few rumours but I think our skipper at the minute, Andrew Swallow, is doing an outstanding job and I don't think there's any reason why that will change," Ziebell said.

Jack Ziebell is out to fast-track his 2016 preparations in the oxygen-starved air of Utah after recent shoulder surgery stopped him from running for six weeks.

Ziebell said that his post-season operation had been nothing more than a "fix-up" and wouldn't delay his start to the 2016 season.

"(My shoulder problem) has been ongoing for a couple of years, but it hasn't stopped me from playing footy or anything like that," Ziebell said.

"So while the time is right in the off-season we just wanted to make sure we could get it right for the longevity of my career."

Jack Ziebell will almost certainly finish a one-club player after signing a new five-year deal that ties him to Arden Street until the end of 2021.

“I’ve loved every minute at North Melbourne and wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Ziebell said.

“I’m proud to be part of what is an amazing culture and a place where we are primed for success.

“While this year was ultimately disappointing on field, everyone here – from the players, to the coaching staff, to the administration – know what we can achieve going forward and are aware of the hard work we need to put in.”

North Melbourne president James Brayshaw earmarks Jack Ziebell as the club's next leader.

"I don't know when the time will be, but there's no doubt he'll be captain of the club," Brayshaw said.

Ziebell responded to his president's comments, telling reporters he would be thrilled to captain the club.

"It would be unbelievable to be captain," Ziebell said.

"But at the same time, it's something I can't control. I have to make sure I can control the things I can control, like my performance and that's something I need to keep working on."

North Melbourne great Glenn Archer says that Ziebell has to change the way he attacks the ball or he keep suffering collision injuries.

"I think it's just simply doing a bit of work on the track to be able to change your technique to actually turn yourself a little bit and use your shoulder … instead of your chest," Archer told Fox Sports.

Jack Ziebell concedes he is not protecting himself enough at contests and will follow advice from Archer.

"He played the way that I'd love to be able to play to the n-th degree and making sure that you're always being so desperate and trying to attack every contest like it's your last," Ziebell said.

"I've just got to strike the balance between what I've been doing before and what I'm doing now.

"What I'm doing now is not working and I'll really need to spend more time on the ground and not be injured."

Jack Ziebell has been discharged from hospital and remains an outside chance to take on Geelong this Sunday.

"It was a really heavy knock and as a precaution Jack spent the two days in hospital to make sure there was no significant damage or long-lasting impacts from the collision," North football director Geoff Walsh said.

"Thankfully, Jack's condition is improving each day and he came out of hospital this morning and is in very good spirits.

"We'll monitor him throughout the week before making a decision on whether he plays against Geelong, but with an eight day break between games, we are hopeful he may be able to be a part of Sunday's game."

Jack Ziebell will spend a second night in hospital while he recovers from bruised lungs.

Jack Ziebell will head to hospital for scans after receiving a heavy knock to the chest in the first quarter of North Melbourne's clash with Port Adelaide.

The Kangaroos midfielder was helped from the field following a big collision midway through the opening term, and immediately went into the changerooms with club medicos.

The 24-year-old was substituted out of the game and will have precautionary scans, which a club spokesperson said was 'routine for this type of injury'.

As he recovers from concussion, Jack Ziebell says he may have to modify his tackling technique but will continue to rely on his instincts out on the field.

"If you take away a player's instincts, what does he play on?" Ziebell said.

"For me personally, (I'm) still going to play on my instincts but just some tackling techniques that I have to do a little bit of work on … just to hopefully play all the games this year."

Jack Ziebell leaves the ground on a stretcher after an accidental collision with Alex Rance in the second quarter of the Kangaroos' NAB Challenge clash against the Tigers.

While being careful not to strip away any of Ziebell's instinct, Kangaroos coach Brad Scott said the tean needed to work with the 24-year-old on ways he could avoid serious injury.

"I've spoken to him about it, and certainly some of the positions he gets himself into, not just with his head … he's had two broken legs and a shoulder reconstruction," Scott said.

"We've trained certain things so he gets himself into better positions.

"Mostly for him it's about instinct – he's just an incredibly courageous, hard-at-the-ball type player.

"I'd never want to do anything to take that part of his game away, but we'll just work on techniques to enable him to protect himself a bit better."

Kangaroos coach Brad Scott says Jack Ziebell compromises his own safety with the way he plays after Ziebell injured his shoulder in an attempted spoil on Western Bulldog Easton Wood.

"I've got to work out whether he's his own worst enemy and goes out and hurts himself again," Scott said.

"Even though structurally there's no risk, the way he plays if he gets another serious hit on it, it's clearly going to be sore.

"We certainly don't want it costing us the game because we've got a player injured early in the game."

Jack Ziebell has dropped six kilograms since the end of the season as he strives to increase his aerobic fitness.

"I've felt really good this camp. I've dropped a couple of kilograms which is nice and helped me get through the running," Ziebell said.

"But I'm still as strong as what I was, which is important as well."

Daniel Wells says Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell are more than capable of filling the midfield void left by injured North Melbourne skipper Andrew Swallow.

"Everyone at our club knows Ben is a terrific player, we've known that for a long time. But his inside work is now as good as anyone's in the competition," Wells said.

"And Jack is an absolute warrior the way he goes aboutit.

"Those two guys are going to be our two big crash-and-bash bodies around the stoppages and they'll get in there and get their hands dirty"

Jack Ziebell says his style of being hard at the ball means he will on the receiving end of some heavy hits, as was the case during the Kangaroos' big win against GWS.

"It's probably one of my strengths as a player, to win the contested ball. If I'm not doing that then I probably would struggle to get a game," Ziebell said.

"It's the way I play my footy, and it's what I do."

Following a season ending injury to Kangaroos skipper Andrew Swallow, Drew Petrie will take over as captain of North Melbourne with coach Brad Scott saying fellow vice-captain Jack Ziebell is not quite ready to take on the leadership role.

"We saw Jack as an absolute potential leader of our football club in the future, but the reality is that at the start of this year he was (still) 21, so he's still very young," Scott said.

"To put that in context he's still two years younger than Jack Grimes who's captaining Melbourne. So he's a very, very young leader, but he's exceeded all of our expectations in terms of his leadership potential.

"But [18] months on (from his appointment as vice-captain) we're not going to make a rash decision and a silly decision in my view when we've got a great leader in Drew Petrie there who's ready to captain the club and I think will do an outstanding job for us."

After copping three suspensions in two years, Jack Ziebell admits he may have to tweak his game to avoid any further bans while still remaining aggressive.

"I don't plan on changing the way I attack the ball or change the way I attack the player with the ball," Ziebell said.

"It's instinct, it's something that has to be tinkered with because I can't keep getting suspended and missing big chunks of games."

Jack Ziebell admits he has to be smarter with his aggression in the wake of his third lengthy suspension for a bump in less than two years.

"I don't think I will change the way I attack the ball, that's probably one of my greatest strengths as a player," Ziebell said.

"I'm used to attacking the ball with ferocity and I consider myself a ball player – I think I'm really hard at the footy.

"I don't line blokes up and go out of my way to hurt people … but I just can't keep getting guys high because it's just costing me too many games."

Jack Ziebell is banned for three weeks after a bump on Crow Jarryd Lyons but former Kangaroos skipper Brent Harvey says the club will not be asking him to temper his aggression.

"Unfortunately, he's copped another suspension. I honestly don't think Jack will change the way he's playing and I don't think he can change the way he's playing," Harvey said.

"We all see the way Jack attacks the football, he's going to give away a lot of free kicks and, unfortunately, he goes twice as hard as anyone else in the competition."

Jack Ziebell is handed a three-match suspension for a bump on Crow Jarryd Lyons leading Geelong and Sydney coaches Chris Scott and John Longmire to question the future of the bump.

"I haven't really wasted too much time thinking about it (the Ziebell ban), and I think that's the approach that most people should take to the match review panel," Scott said.

"If you try to work it out you'll just tear your hair out and end up very confused and frustrated. They are so inconsistent that any sort of predictions, when it comes to the Match Review Panel, are a waste of time."

"The hard thing from Jack's incident is it looked like he went in to smother. It's very difficult in that situation," Longmire said.

"But I think it's getting to the stage where the bump, obviously you do it at your own risk.

"You're not quite sure what the outcome will be, you're not quite sure what the other player will do, so you're better off maybe putting it in the kit bag and trying to tackle or put some pressure on."

Jack Ziebell expects to miss the start of the NAB Cup while recovering from minor knee surgery but expects to play in round one.

"I think the way we've handled it has been spot on really," Ziebell said.

"It was just good to be able to get it done while we have plenty of time up our sleeves before the season starts. Doing it now means I'll be perfectly fine for round one and even some of the NAB Cup."

Jack Ziebell says he hopes to improve his consistency in 2013.

"I just need to get out there consistently and make sure I'm not just having one good game here and a shocker there. I need to eradicate that from my game," he said.

"I just need to be more consistent in my approach. That's the way I'll attack my footy next year."

When Brad McKenzie joined Jack Ziebell on a high-altitude camp in Utah, he developed a hunger for hard work - and learned how to cook.

"It was good to bond with a leader of the club and to see how hard he trains. Especially training with someone who had the same sort of aerobic capacity as me when he started his career, to see how much he's improved," McKenzie said.

"He pushed himself to the maximum, which pushed me to the maximum."

Jack Ziebell returns from his four-week suspension promising to attack the ball as fiercely as ever.

"I think that going to Utah and getting some more exposure at altitude is probably not a bad thing for me," Ziebell said.

"Hopefully that's going to hold me in good stead for the rest of the season.

"I've been doing a fair bit of running but ... I think the contact and the bumps [in games] is where you become the most sore and not having that for a month I'm feeling as fresh as a daisy and I'm jumping out of my skin to get out there."

Carlton midfielder Andrew Carrazzo has labelled the four-week suspension to Jack Ziebell 'disappointing' despite teammate Aaron Joseph being concussed from the incident.

"It's disappointing. It probably goes against our instincts as players to see the ball and win in," Carrazzo told Seven's AFL Game Day.

"'AJ' (Joseph) was hit in the head and knocked out. I'm not trying to take the gloss off that. But it is confusing for us players as well about knowing what to do and what's acceptable and what's not."

North chairman James Brayshaw has strongly defended the actions of midfielder Jack Ziebell who was banned for four weeks for rough conduct.

"If you're playing football, surely you should be encouraged to go for the ball when it's in your area and not be penalised when you do, so that's where the groundswell comes from," Brayshaw said.

"It worries me when the tribunal [is] trying to steer footballers away from attacking the ball, that concerns me enormously, so I hope this isn't the trend that we continue to see wandering through footy."

North Melbourne players vent on Twitter after midfielder Jack Ziebell was suspended for four games on a charge of rough conduct.

Vice-captain Drew Petrie‏ tweeted: "Lost enough sleep already tonight over that decision. Got a sore neck from shaking my head so much. Time for bed."

Soon after he tweeted again saying: "Advice for @JackZiebell. Stop being so courageous and playing footy hard the way it's meant to be played. Please turn into a softy."

North Melbourne rookie Majak Daw retweeted a post ‏which said: "AFL please explain how Ziebell gets the same penalty as Judd and more time than Wellingham ... do you really think this is a fair system?"

Roos coach Brad Scott says young star Jack Ziebell has great leadership potential.

"We certainly haven't seen anywhere near what Jack's capable of producing, even though in the second half of 2011 he really got a hold of some games," Scott said.

"We appointed him as vice-captain at 21. That's not because we felt we wanted a young leader. It's because Jack picked himself as a leader. He just is a leader."

Jack Ziebell says he hopes to improve his aerobic capacity over the pre-season so that he can spend more time on the ground in 2012.

"If there's one particular area I'm targeting it's just getting my conditioning right and making sure that I can spend more time on the ground," he said.

Young North Melbourne midfielder Jack Ziebell says he hopes to recover from his broken leg in time for finals.

"It's pretty disappointing but I think it's part and parcel of footy these days...you get injuries and you have to deal with them," he said.

"I've just got to get back on the horse and just got to work really hard in rehab now and make sure I do everything right to get back and if we play finals, get back for that."

Jack Ziebell fractures his tibia in the same leg he broke in round 12 last year.

Teammate Todd Goldstein says Ziebell will overcome a second broken leg in two seasons thanks to his mental toughness.

"He might find it a bit tough but he's a strong player," Goldstein said.

"Mentally, for a young guy he's very strong so I think he'll bounce back fine from it. He'll just have to do his rehab and get back as soon as possible."

North Melbourne midfielder Jack Ziebell says he now has enough confidence in his healed leg he is able to play without a leg guard.

"He doesn't really need it because it's healed so well. Everyone could wear a guard like that and I'd be happier because then it would prevent everybody getting shin injuries," club doctor Con Mitropoulos said.

"He's now stopped wearing it and he's played footy with it off, so I'm quite happy with that. I knew that at some point he was just going to get frustrated with it and get rid of it."

North Melbourne has secured the services of promising youngster Jack Ziebell for a further three years.

"North Melbourne is where I want to play my football," Ziebell said.

"The group we have at the club is amazingly talented and I want us all to stick together because I believe we could be heading toward something pretty special in the near future."

Second-year Kangaroo Jack Ziebell is already building a strong relationship with first round draft pick Ben Cunnington, his teammate in Vic Country's under-16 side in 2007.

"If I can help him in any way I can, I will try to do that and make him a better player," Ziebell said.

"I knew him pretty well and I was very happy to see him come to North because he was the kind of player we really needed. I'm sure he'll be fantastic for us."

North Melbourne youngster Jack Ziebell says his training form proves he has moved on from his 2009 injuries.

"Everything's holding together. I feel pretty fit for the first time in a long time. I've just got to get through the next four weeks and get to games. I'm very excited and raring to go," Ziebell said.

"I'm pretty sure we're on top of it now and will be ready to go round one."

Rising midfielder Jack Ziebell will wear retired Kangaroo captain Adam Simpson's No. 7 guernsey.

"He rang me before and just said, 'Do you want it or not?' and I said, 'I would love to have it'. He said, 'If you want it, I'll mention it. If not, no big deal'," Ziebell said.

"That's the kind of bloke he is: very selfless and he wants the best for everyone else. He'll be sorely missed and will leave a big hole to fill.

"He's a legend of the club, he's given his whole heart and soul to the club and he's been fantastic."

Promising North Melbourne onballer Jack Ziebell is making good progress from a broken leg.

Ziebell broke his leg against Adelaide in round 12 but is now walking comfortably without crutches and assistant coach Darren Bewick said the draftee had wasted little time revisiting his routine.

"One thing about him is that as an 18-year-old kid, he's pretty steadfast in what he wants to achieve," Bewick said.

"He's done everything right, he hasn't let himself go at all and the first sign is he got out of the crutches and he's here doing ball work. The good players do that."

North Melbourne interim coach Darren Crocker has followed the lead of his equivalent at Richmond, Jade Rawlings, and swung the selection axe for his first match in charge.

The inclusion of debutant Liam Anthony is among four changes to the side that will meet the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

Making way are youngsters Jack Ziebell (out due to a broken leg) and Gavin Urquhart, along with Sam Power and Aaron Edwards.

North Melbourne's young gun Jack Ziebell's debut season appears over after scans yesterday confirmed he broke his right leg in the 44-point loss to Adelaide on Sunday.

The 18-year-old midfielder was taken to hospital after Adelaide's Brad Symes slid into his knee during a contest just before three-quarter-time.

Scans revealed the round-seven Rising Star nominee had a fractured fibula which will put him out for six to 10 weeks and with the club unlikely to play finals, he is not expected to return this year.

North Melbourne young gun Jack Ziebell is to learn his fate today after suffering a serious leg injury against the Crows.

Scans have been taken of the 18-year-old's right leg, with North Melbourne to learn the full extent of the damage later today.

North Melbourne has confirmed young gun Jack Ziebell suffered a broken right leg during Sunday's loss to Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

The club released a statement on Monday evening saying scans revealed a fractured fibula, a result of contact with Crow Brent Reilly as Ziebell slid head-long into a pack in the greasy conditions.

The 18-year-old is expected to be out for between six to 10 weeks.

Jack Ziebell has been taken to hospital for x-rays on his leg after a collision in North Melbourne's loss to Adelaide.

Roo veteran Brady Rawlings says Jack Ziebell is the most impressive young player he has seen in 10 years.

"I think the most impressive thing about Ziebs is you know that whatever is thrust at him is not going to go to his head," Rawlings said.

"He's just a very level-headed kid. He's not cocky at all, where some kids could be like that when they've done what he's done so far this year.

"He's the exact opposite and a good person to have at your footy club."

Jack Ziebell is the latest young gun to earn a Rising Star nomination with an outstanding game against Port Adelaide.

"The kid's going to be a superstar and I'm not afraid to say that because his work ethic, the way he attacks the football, has been fantastic," North Melbourne coach Dean Laidley said.

"He is a leader in his own right at the football club already just by the way he goes about it."

Dean Laidley has confirmed that both Jack Ziebell and Liam Anthony will make their AFL debuts against Melbourne on Sunday.

North Melbourne will expose top draft pick Jack Ziebell to AFL intensity and expectations in its NAB Cup opener at Telstra Dome tonight.