| Jed Walter | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Jed Walter | ||
| Nickname(s) | Walt Disney [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 8 June 2005 | ||
| Place of birth | Perth | ||
| Original team(s) | Palm Beach Currumbin (QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy (Talent League) | ||
| Draft | No. 3, 2023 AFL draft | ||
| Height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Weight | 97 kg (214 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Key Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gold Coast | ||
| Number | 4 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2024– | Gold Coast | 14 (11) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Jed Walter is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by Gold Coast as the number three pick in the 2023 AFL draft as the Suns matched North Melbourne's bid. [2]
Walter was born in South Perth [3] and spent the early years of his life in Western Australia before moving to the Gold Coast at nine years of age. [4] He began playing junior football for the first time shortly after arriving in Queensland when he signed up to play under-9s for the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions [5] alongside future Gold Coast Suns teammates Ethan Read and Will Graham. [6] He grew up a West Coast Eagles supporter but has stated that he always had a soft spot for the Gold Coast Suns throughout his upbringing. [7] He was educated at renowned sporting school Palm Beach Currumbin State High School and played a starring role in their 2022 AFL Queensland State Championship win. [8]
Along with football, Walter also competed at the national level in short and long distance running, which included winning in the under-10 national 800m race, but eventually gave up running when football became more serious. [9] He was invited to take part in the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age [10] and began gaining local prominence two months after his 13th birthday when he was awarded the Gold Coast Junior AFL U14s Player of the Year award in 2018. [11] In 2019, he was selected to represent Queensland as a bottom ager at the U15 Australian Football Championships and his strong performances in that carnival earned him selection as the centre half-forward in the U15 All-Australian team. [12]
In May 2021, Walter made his NAB League debut for the Gold Coast Academy at 15 years of age against the Dandenong Stingrays and faced future Suns teammate Mac Andrew. [13] Six weeks later, he made his senior QAFL debut for Palm Beach Currumbin a month after his 16th birthday and kicked two goals in an impressive performance. [14] In 2022, Walter was coached by newly arrived Palm Beach Currumbin teammate Liam Jones during his AFL hiatus in which he lived and played in southern Queensland. [15]
Walter was selected to represent the Allies as a bottom ager in the 2022 U18 National Championships and put together several dominant performances that led to him being named as the starting U18 All-Australian centre half-forward at the conclusion of the tournament. [16] He was considered a top draft prospect leading into the 2023 season and proved his worth by guiding the Allies to a historic first U18 National Championship win in which the team went undefeated and Walter was subsequently named as the starting U18 All-Australian centre half-forward for a second consecutive year. [17]
Walter became the second Queensland product after Nick Riewoldt to be drafted with a top three draft selection when the Gold Coast Suns matched a pick three bid from North Melbourne in the 2023 AFL draft. [18] In January 2024, after impressing many onlookers during his first AFL pre-season, Walter broke his collarbone and subsequently missed the early rounds of the 2024 AFL season. [19] He made his AFL debut at 18 years of age in round 2 of the 2024 season against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat. [20]
G | Goals | K | Kicks | D | Disposals | T | Tackles |
B | Behinds | H | Handballs | M | Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2024 | Gold Coast | 17 | 14 | 11 | 14 | 54 | 26 | 80 | 25 | 31 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Career | 14 | 11 | 14 | 54 | 26 | 80 | 25 | 31 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.9 | 5.7 | 1.8 | 2.2 | ||
