Jai Culley

Jai Culley
Culley with Melbourne in March 2026
Personal information
Born	(2003-02-24) 24 February 2003 (age 23)
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 0(7)
2025–	Melbourne	05 0(4)
Total		16 (10)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 1, 2026.
Career highlights
AFL Rising Star nominee: 2023
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]

Statistics

Updated to the end of round 1, 2026. ^[10]

Legend

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	1	1	1	7	4	11	4	2	1.0	1.0	7.0	4.0	11.0	4.0	2.0
Career			17	11	5	92	96	188	39	65	0.6	0.3	5.4	5.6	11.1	2.3	3.8	0

References

1. "The Draft File: Mid-season Rookie Pick 1 - Jai Culley". westcoasteagles.com.au. June 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
2. "Team announcement: Culley gets his wings". westcoasteagles.com.au. 14 July 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
3. "That's our Jai! Young Eagle nominated for Rising Star". westcoasteagles.com.au. 26 April 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
4. "Culley ACL another blow for injury-ravaged Eagles". afl.com.au. 7 May 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
5. Cellini, Aidan (18 October 2024). "Eagles make list culls as trio left without deals". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
6. Farquhar, Callum. "Axed Eagle returns to junior club following Casey Demons signing". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
7. Nobes, Caitlin (24 February 2025). "Dees sign Eagle | Culley earns final list spot". Melbourne Football Club .
8. McPherson, David. "Demon debut | Jai's our guy". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
9. "Demon trio sign on". melbournefc.com.au. Retrieved 30 January 2026.
10. "Jai Culley". AFL Tables. Retrieved 22 March 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