Jackson has played AFL, won a SANFL flag, and now he's an Australian champ

Jackson Callow has had a pretty big fortnight.

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Jackson Callow with his mechanic Andrew Cash and his Australian championship kart, as well as family Toby, Michelle and Scott with the SANFL premiership cup. Inset: Callow in Hawthorn gear in 2022, in action at the Australian championships. Pictures file, supplied

On September 20, the 24-year-old kicked two goals as Norwood won the SANFL premiership, and two weeks later he became an Australian dirt karting champion after only taking up the discipline last year.

Dirt karting is exactly what it sounds like - go-karting on a dirt track - and Launceston product Callow won the KT Heavy category at the national championships at Loxton, South Australia last weekend.

The field of 35 raced in four heats, with each competitor starting a race at the front and the back, and two in the middle, and accumulating points based on finishing position.

The top 20 went through to the final, with Callow sitting third on points heading into the eight-lap showdown before taking the lead on the penultimate lap, which was enough to win him the title.

"You definitely get an adrenaline rush in those last few laps when I was catching him," he said.

"I got close to him and had one opportunity where I knew it was my only chance to get him and just threw it up the inside and got it done."

The key forward is in NSW and will head to Mount Panorama with Dalton, describing his mate as "doing pretty well for himself".

Callow in 2017 after St Pats student Jackson Callow representing Tasmania in football and securing a podium finish at a national karting event in the space of two weeks. Picture: Hamish Geale

"I've done a few meetings, and on the weekend we got the win," Callow said.

"I also run another class that I was coming second in but I dropped the chain on the last lap and didn't finish, but I'm still happy with the result."

Callow "doesn't do much karting" during the football season, but uses it as a way to keep "fit and lean" during the off months, getting lucky with the timing of the Australian championships.

Although, he said with a laugh that he "didn't have the best preparation after winning the flag".

Callow kicked the first goal of the decider, booting later in the term as Norwood stormed home from an 18-point three-quarter-time deficit to win the premiership after finishing the home-and-away season on top.

"I'm just grateful to be a part of such a good club," he said.

"The culture of the club is why I'm there, we've got the best facilities, the best players, the best coaches and basically we're just a big family and we love to be there together.

"In Sheeds' [Jade Sheedy] second year as coach, the game plan started to really come out this year and we were very confident in it and had a really good year."

It was a slow start to the season for Callow, breaking his hand in round one and kicking 4.13 across the first five games before shifting into gear and kicking 37 majors for the season.

He described the premiership as a "lifelong memory", and was this year joined at Norwood by his brother Toby, who played 20 games in the reserves.

"Hopefully he can hop in the team next year and we can win another one," he said.

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