Jacob van Rooyen

{{Short description|Australian rules footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}

{{Use Australian English|date=April 2023}}

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Jacob van Rooyen

| fullname = Jacob van Rooyen

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2003|04|16|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = Claremont (WAFL)

| draftpick = No. 19, 2021 national draft

| debutdate = Round 3, 2023

| debutteam = {{AFL Mel}}

| debutopponent = {{AFL Syd}}

| debutstadium = MCG

| height = 193 cm

| weight = 96 kg

| position = Forward

| currentclub = {{AFL Mel}}

| guernsey = 2

| years1 = 2022–

| club1 = {{AFL Mel}}

| games_goals1 = 46 (62)

| statsend = round 6, 2025

| careerhighlights =

• Harold Ball Memorial Trophy: 2023
• AFL Rising Star nominee: 2023

}}

Jacob van Rooyen (born 16 April 2003) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for Claremont in the West Australian Football League (WAFL).{{cite news |date=25 April 2023 |title=Jacob van Rooyen |language=en |work=melbournefc.com.au |url=https://www.melbournefc.com.au/players/5689/jacob-van-rooyen |access-date=25 April 2023}} He was drafted by Melbourne with their first selection and nineteenth overall in the 2021 national draft.{{cite news |title=Drafted: Demons land Jacob van Rooyen with pick No.19 |url=https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1033254/drafted-demons-land-jacob-van-rooyen-with-pick-no19 |access-date=25 April 2023 |work=melbournefc.com.au |date=24 November 2021 |language=en}} After spending the entire 2022 season playing for Casey in the Victorian Football League, he made his debut in the 50-point win against {{AFL Syd}} at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the third round of the 2023 season, kicking three goals and making six tackles.{{cite news |title=Van Rooyen impresses in Demons' AFL win over Sydney |url=https://www.espn.co.uk/afl/story/_/id/36037449/afl-round-3-jacob-van-rooyen-impresses-demons-afl-win-sydney |access-date=6 April 2023 |work=ESPN.com |date=2 April 2023 |language=en}}

During the Round 8 game against Gold Coast, van Rooyen was charged with striking and suspended for two weeks when an attempted spoil on Charlie Ballard resulted in his arm hitting his opponent's head.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-09 |title=‘Absolute rubbish’: Host blows up as AFL’s ‘ridiculous’ van Rooyen Tribunal call ‘must be appealed’ |url=https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/teams/melbourne-demons/afl-news-2023-reaction-to-jacob-van-rooyen-tribunal-decision-striking-ban-upheld-melbourne-to-appeal-latest/news-story/8b38ce14f21b4e5fa96c566440dec64a |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=Fox Sports |language=en}} The suspension was overturned upon appeal, and van Rooyen was able to play the following week.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-12 |title=AFL world erupts after ‘joke’ marathon hearing: ‘Like when the Berlin Wall fell’ |url=https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/melbourne-forward-jacob-van-rooyens-controversial-afl-ban-thrown-out-after-marathon-appeal-c-10628000 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=7NEWS |language=en}}

In Round 12, he was awarded the weekly Rising Star nomination{{Cite web |date=2023-06-06 |title=Demons young gun van Rooyen handling expectation |url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl/demons-young-gun-van-rooyen-handling-expectation-c-10892914 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=PerthNow |language=en}} after his tenth consecutive game, having scored at least one goal in each game.

Van Rooyen's 2023 season is known for his accuracy, having the highest goal-to-behind percentage of any player in the league to have 30 or more scoring shots, scoring 28 goals and 9 behinds and resulting in an accuracy percentage of 75.7%.{{Cite web |title=AFL Goalkickers for Season 2023 |url=https://www.footywire.com/afl/footy/ft_goal_kickers?year=2023&type=T&sort=accuracy |access-date=2023-08-28 |website=www.footywire.com}}

After {{AFL Mel}}’s Qualifying Final in 2023 van Rooyen received a one match ban due to a high bump on {{AFL Col}} player Daniel McStay. This caused van Rooyen to miss the semi final match against {{AFL Car}} which Melbourne lost in the dying seconds, therefore ending {{AFL Mel}}’s season.