Ethan Read
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Gold Coast, Queensland
| Ethan Read | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Read in March 2026 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Ethan Read | ||
| Nicknames | Creek,[1] The Unicorn[2] | ||
| Born |
7 July 2005 Gold Coast, Queensland | ||
| Original team | 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) | ||
| Positions | Ruck, Forward | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Gold Coast | ||
| Number | 20 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2024– | Gold Coast | 32 (31) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 7, 2026. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
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 born and raised on the Gold Coast[4] where he attended St Andrews Lutheran College throughout his upbringing.[5] 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.[6] Read joined the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 13 years of age, but was not considered a standout in his early teenage years.[7]
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.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10]
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.[11] A month later he made his VFL debut for the Gold Coast, accruing 12 disposals and four behinds.[12] 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.[13] 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.[14] Read grew up supporting the Gold Coast Suns[15] and described being drafted to the club with his friends as a "dream come true".[16]
AFL career
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.[17] In May 2024, Read extended his contract with the Suns until 2028.[18]
In round 21 of the 2025 AFL season Read kicked two goals to earn himself a nomination for the 2025 AFL rising star.[19]
