Jai Culley

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.

Jai Culley
Personal information
Date of birth	(2003-02-24) 24 February 2003 (age 22)
Original team(s)	Dandenong Stingrays/Langwarrin JFC
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(s)	Midfielder/Forward
Club information
Current club	Melbourne
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2022–2024	West Coast	12 (7)
2025–	Melbourne	0 (0)
Total		12 (7)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2024 season.
Career highlights
2023 AFL Rising Star nominee
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

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]