Francis Evans (footballer)

Francis Evans (born 23 August 2001) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Drafted in 2019 by Geelong, Evans also played for Port Adelaide between 2023 and 2024.

Francis Evans
Evans with Carlton's VFL side in April 2025
Personal information
Full name	Francis Evans
Nickname(s)	Frank the Tank[1]
Date of birth	(2001-08-23) 23 August 2001 (age 23)
Place of birth	Melbourne, Victoria
Original team(s)	Calder Cannons (NAB League) Brunswick NOBS (VAFA)
Draft	No. 41, 2019 AFL draft
Debut	Round 2, 2021, Geelong vs. Brisbane Lions, at Kardinia Park
Height	182 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Position(s)	Small forward
Club information
Current club	Carlton
Number	44
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2021–2022	Geelong	7 (3)
2023–2024	Port Adelaide	27 (19)
2025–	Carlton	4 (1)
Total		38 (23)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Evans did not come through the traditional talent pathway to the AFL, spending most of his junior career playing for Brunswick NOBS in the VAFA. He only played two matches for the NAB League's Calder Cannons; thus Evans' selection as an 18-year-old with pick 41 by the Geelong Football Club in the 2019 AFL draft was a surprise to most draft gurus.^[2][3]

AFL career

Geelong

Evans made his AFL debut in round 2, 2021 against Brisbane Lions at GMHBA Stadium.^[4] He spent three years on the Geelong list, playing seven senior games, before being delisted after its premiership year.^[5]

Port Adelaide

Evans signed for the Port Adelaide Football Club as a delisted free agent, and played 26 games for the club over the next two years, including 17 games as a regular player in 2024. He was delisted by Port Adelaide at the end of the 2024 season.^[6]

Carlton

Evans signed to play for the Carlton reserves for the 2025 season,^[7] but after impressing in pre-season training was added to the club's rookie list during the supplemental signing period.^[8] Evans earned a round one debut for the club, starting his 2025 season against Richmond, ^[9] where he managed to score his first goal for the club.

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2024 season^[10]

Legend

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
2020	Geelong	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2021	Geelong	31	2	2	1	8	0	8	4	1	1	0.5	4	0	4	2	0.5
2022	Geelong	31	5	1	0	14	24	38	8	7	0.2	0	2.8	4.8	7.6	1.6	1.4
2023	Port Adelaide	31	10	10	4	51	24	75	20	16	1	0.4	5.1	2.4	7.5	2	1.6
2024	Port Adelaide	31	17	9	7	86	44	130	35	41	0.5	0.4	5.1	2.6	7.6	2.1	2.4
2025	Carlton	44	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Career			34	22	12	159	92	251	67	65	0.6	0.4	4.7	2.7	7.4	2.0	1.9