Jai Culley
| Jai Culley | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Culley with Melbourne in March 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 24 February 2003 | ||
| Original team | Langwarrin JFC/Dandenong Stingrays | ||
| Draft | No. 1, 2022 mid-season rookie draft | ||
| Debut | 17 July 2022, West Coast vs. Hawthorn, at MCG | ||
| Height | 194 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Position | Midfielder/Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Melbourne | ||
| Number | 13 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2022–2024 | West Coast | 12 (7) | |
| 2025– | Melbourne | 11 (4) | |
| Total | 23 (11) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 22, 2026. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Jai Culley (born 24 February 2003) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL). Culley previously played for the West Coast Eagles.
AFL career
West Coast
Culley was selected with pick 1 of the 2022 mid-season rookie draft.[1] He made his debut against Hawthorn in round 18 of the 2022 AFL season.[2] Culley played 4 games in his debut season.
In round 6 of the 2023 AFL season Culley kicked 4 goals and had 10 disposals, earning him a nomination for the 2023 AFL Rising Star Award.[3] Two weeks later in round 8 against the Richmond Tigers, Culley ruptured his ACL and would not play for the remainder of the season.[4]
At the conclusion of the 2024 season Culley was delisted by the Eagles.[5]
Melbourne
Culley signed with the Casey Demons following his delisting in an attempt to return to an AFL list.[6] On 24 February 2025, Culley was signed by the Melbourne Football Club in the Supplemental Selection Period (SSP) for the 2025 AFL season, which had closed three days prior but was re-opened to allow Melbourne to find a replacement for Andy Moniz-Wakefield, who had suffered an ACL injury in a practice match over the weekend.[7] He made his debut for Melbourne in round 21 of the 2025 AFL season.[8] At the end of the season, Culley signed a one-year contract extension to the end of 2026.[9]
In April 2026, having played every game for the Demons up to that point in the season, Culley signed a two-year contract extension to the end of 2028.[10] In round 7 of the 2026 AFL season, Culley ruptured his ACL, ruling him out for the rest of the season.[11]
Statistics
Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.[12]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2022 | West Coast | 49 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 25 | 53 | 8 | 30 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 13.3 | 2.0 | 7.5 | 0 |
| 2023 | West Coast | 49 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 28 | 42 | 8 | 15 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 2.8 | 5.6 | 8.4 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0 |
| 2024 | West Coast | 49 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 18 | 10 | 28 | 5 | 7 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 6.0 | 3.3 | 9.3 | 1.7 | 2.3 | 0 |
| 2025 | Melbourne | 46 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 25 | 29 | 54 | 14 | 11 | 0.8 | 0.0 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 13.5 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 0 |
| 2026 | Melbourne | 13 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 45 | 41 | 86 | 21 | 15 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 12.3 | 3.0 | 2.1 | 0 |
| Career | 23 | 11 | 7 | 130 | 133 | 263 | 56 | 78 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 5.7 | 5.8 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 3.4 | 0 | ||
References
- ↑ "The Draft File: Mid-season Rookie Pick 1 - Jai Culley". westcoasteagles.com.au. June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ "Team announcement: Culley gets his wings". westcoasteagles.com.au. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ "That's our Jai! Young Eagle nominated for Rising Star". westcoasteagles.com.au. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ "Culley ACL another blow for injury-ravaged Eagles". afl.com.au. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ Cellini, Aidan (18 October 2024). "Eagles make list culls as trio left without deals". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ Farquhar, Callum. "Axed Eagle returns to junior club following Casey Demons signing". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ↑ Nobes, Caitlin (24 February 2025). "Dees sign Eagle | Culley earns final list spot". Melbourne Football Club.
- ↑ McPherson, David. "Demon debut | Jai's our guy". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ↑ "Demon trio sign on". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
- ↑ McPherson, David. "Jai's our guy until 2028 | Culley re-signs". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
- ↑ "Scans reveal extent of Demon's knee injury". afl.com.au. Retrieved 26 April 2026.
- ↑ "Jai Culley". AFL Tables. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
External links
- Jai Culley's profile on the official website of the Melbourne Football Club
- Jai Culley's playing statistics from AFL Tables
- Jai Culley at AustralianFootball.com
- Jai Culley's WAFL playing statistics at WAFLFootyFacts.net