James Polkinghorne (born 21 January 1989) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Brisbane Lions and Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Polkinghorne possesses an exceptional leaping ability thanks to his volleyball background with St. Bernard's College and for the U15 Victorian schoolboys side. Polkinghorne made his debut in round 6, 2008 at the Gabba against Melbourne. He was delisted by the Lions at the end of the 2014 season. In January 2016, he signed with Essendon as a top-up player.