Truth is, Clarke can probably lay claim to being the brightest bloke in the entire AFL.
He aced every one of his subjects and blitzed the South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) last year, scoring 99.95 (the highest possible mark, equivalent to an OP 1 in Queensland).
His exceptional exit marks placed him ‘in the top four or five students in all of South Australia’, a rich reward for prioritising study over sport in his senior year.
These academic feats are all the more remarkable considering the circumstances of the 19-year-olds education.
Clarke grew up in the small country town of Booleroo (population 200), roughly three hours from Adelaide, and attended the pint-sized local school, which catered for grades 1-12.
He was School Captain, and his noted intelligence and sporting prowess meant he was a highly-regarded role model to the youngsters; a position Clarke explains was blessing and a burden.
“Absolutely everybody at school knew who I was,” he said.
“I was very much someone who people looked up to; especially the younger guys. Because the school was so small, and all the grades were in together, it meant I had to help out all the time.
“I was always taking time out from my own learning to go and help the younger grades with whatever work they needed to do.”
It wasn’t just the littlies Clarke had to lend a hand, he often found himself assisting his peers.
“I taught the physics class a fair few times in grade twelve,” he said.
“Booleroo is such a small place, if the teacher wasn’t at class for any reason there was no chance of getting a fill-in. I was the physics relief teacher in grade 12!”
Clarke’s grasp of physics and specialised maths was so advanced he had to ‘pretty much’ teach both subjects to himself in grade 12, a stark contrast to the personalised tutelage most final-year students get in metropolitan areas.
But the youngest player on the Lion’s list wouldn’t have had it any other way.
“I could have moved to Adelaide, gone to a much bigger school and gotten out of the country,” Clarke said.
“But I never seriously considered going. I love the rural life and I really enjoyed going through school at Booleroo.”
While he never wanted to move to Adelaide for his schooling, there was a stage Clarke was close to relocating to the city of churches to pursue football.
SANFL club North Adelaide tried to entice the youngster to join them in the city, and after months of refusal Clarke relented and made the three-hour trek last July to play with the side’s reserves.
The defender impressed, and was named amongst the best on ground, but it was the first and last outing for the club.
“I went there and played once, but I knew after that that I wanted to come home and see out grade 12 at home,” Clarke said.
“I decided that I only had six months left of school, so it would be best to concentrate on study for the rest of the year, play local footy, and see what happened after that.”
It proved an inspired decision.
After school, Clarke joined Brisbane’s pre-season training squad at the beginning of December and was duly rookie-listed with the Lions’ first round selection (Pick No.4 overall) at the 2011 AFL Rookie Draft.
He’s begun a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering too, and the affable teen is relishing the opportunity to test himself on and off the paddock.
“This year is fantastic, I’m really happy to be in Brisbane with the Lions, playing footy,” Clarke said.
“I’ve recently started my course online through Charles Darwin University, and I’m enjoying the challenge of combing both footy and study at a higher level.”
