Ethan Read | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Ethan Read | ||
Nickname(s) | Creek, [1] The Unicorn [2] | ||
Date of birth | 7 July 2005 | ||
Original team(s) | Palm Beach Currumbin ( QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy ( Talent League) | ||
Draft | No. 9, 2023 AFL draft | ||
Height | 202 cm (6 ft 8 in) | ||
Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Ruck, Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Gold Coast | ||
Number | 20 | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2024– | Gold Coast | 2 (3) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 5, 2024. |
Ethan Read is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by the Gold Coast Suns with the ninth pick in the 2023 AFL draft. [3]
Read was raised on the Gold Coast where he attended St Andrews Lutheran College throughout his upbringing. [4] He began playing junior football at nine years of age when signed up to play for the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions alongside future AFL teammates Jed Walter and Will Graham. [5] Read joined the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 13 years of age, but was not considered a standout in his early teenage years. [6]
At 16 years of age, Read experienced an 11 cm growth spurt and he was subsequently put on the radar of several AFL teams due to his newly developed 200 cm frame. [7] The following year he received national exposure for the first time when as a bottom ager he was selected to represent the Allies several times in the U18 National Championships as well as the Gold Coast Suns Academy in the U19 Talent League. [8] His performances at the representative and club levels led to Read being placed in the AFL's 30-player National Academy program on the eve of his draft year and he was generally considered a second round draft prospect at the time. [9]
Read appeared in the Allies' first U18 National Championship win and his performances earned him the starting ruckman position in the 2023 U18 All-Australian team. [10] A month later he made his VFL debut for the Gold Coast, accruing 12 disposals and four behinds. [11] In mid-November, he finished second in the national combine 2km time trial by running a 5:56 and was rated as highly as the third best prospect in the 2023 draft pool by some recruiters. [12] A week later, he was drafted to his hometown team the Gold Coast Suns with pick 9 in the 2023 AFL draft after the Suns elected to match a bid from the Geelong Cats. [13] Read grew up supporting the Gold Coast Suns [14] and described being drafted to the club with his friends as a "dream come true". [15]
Read made his AFL debut for the Suns at 18 years of age in round 4 of the 2024 season against the Greater Western Sydney Giants in Mount Barker and kicked a goal in his first game. [16]
Ethan Read | |||
---|---|---|---|
Personal information | |||
Full name | Ethan Read | ||
Nickname(s) | Creek, [1] The Unicorn [2] | ||
Date of birth | 7 July 2005 | ||
Original team(s) | Palm Beach Currumbin ( QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy ( Talent League) | ||
Draft | No. 9, 2023 AFL draft | ||
Height | 202 cm (6 ft 8 in) | ||
Weight | 92 kg (203 lb) | ||
Position(s) | Ruck, Forward | ||
Club information | |||
Current club | Gold Coast | ||
Number | 20 | ||
Playing career1 | |||
Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
2024– | Gold Coast | 2 (3) | |
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 5, 2024. |
Ethan Read is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by the Gold Coast Suns with the ninth pick in the 2023 AFL draft. [3]
Read was raised on the Gold Coast where he attended St Andrews Lutheran College throughout his upbringing. [4] He began playing junior football at nine years of age when signed up to play for the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions alongside future AFL teammates Jed Walter and Will Graham. [5] Read joined the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 13 years of age, but was not considered a standout in his early teenage years. [6]
At 16 years of age, Read experienced an 11 cm growth spurt and he was subsequently put on the radar of several AFL teams due to his newly developed 200 cm frame. [7] The following year he received national exposure for the first time when as a bottom ager he was selected to represent the Allies several times in the U18 National Championships as well as the Gold Coast Suns Academy in the U19 Talent League. [8] His performances at the representative and club levels led to Read being placed in the AFL's 30-player National Academy program on the eve of his draft year and he was generally considered a second round draft prospect at the time. [9]
Read appeared in the Allies' first U18 National Championship win and his performances earned him the starting ruckman position in the 2023 U18 All-Australian team. [10] A month later he made his VFL debut for the Gold Coast, accruing 12 disposals and four behinds. [11] In mid-November, he finished second in the national combine 2km time trial by running a 5:56 and was rated as highly as the third best prospect in the 2023 draft pool by some recruiters. [12] A week later, he was drafted to his hometown team the Gold Coast Suns with pick 9 in the 2023 AFL draft after the Suns elected to match a bid from the Geelong Cats. [13] Read grew up supporting the Gold Coast Suns [14] and described being drafted to the club with his friends as a "dream come true". [15]
Read made his AFL debut for the Suns at 18 years of age in round 4 of the 2024 season against the Greater Western Sydney Giants in Mount Barker and kicked a goal in his first game. [16]