Wade Derksen
Australian rules footballer
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Wade Derksen (born 18 June 2001) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), having previously been listed with the GWS Giants.
Queanbeyan (AFL Canberra)
Essendon (VFL)
Sunbury (BFL)
Peel Thunder (WAFL)
| Wade Derksen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Born | 18 June 2001 | ||
| Original teams |
Nightcliff (NTFL) Queanbeyan (AFL Canberra) Essendon (VFL) Sunbury (BFL) Peel Thunder (WAFL) | ||
| Draft | No. 5, 2022 mid-season rookie draft | ||
| Debut | Round 4, 2026, Carlton vs. North Melbourne, at Docklands Stadium | ||
| Height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) | ||
| Position | Key Defender | ||
| Club information | |||
| Current club | Carlton | ||
| Number | 47 | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2022–2025 | Greater Western Sydney | 0 (0) | |
| 2026– | Carlton | 2 (0) | |
| Total | 2 (0) | ||
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 6, 2026. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Pre-AFL career
Hailing from Darwin, Derksen played for the Nightcliff Tigers in the Northern Territory Football League.[1] He also played for the Queanbeyan Football Club in the AFL Canberra competition in 2018 and 2019.[2]
In 2021, Derksen, having moved to Victoria, joined Essendon in the VFL,[3] also playing for the Sunbury Lions in the Ballarat Football League.[4] In 2022, Derksen made the move to Western Australia, where he signed with Peel Thunder in the WAFL.[1]
AFL career
Greater Western Sydney
Derksen was selected with pick 5 of the 2022 mid-season rookie draft by the GWS Giants.[5] Following the 2024 AFL season, the untried Derksen requested a trade to a Victorian AFL team.[6] The trade request was unsuccessful, with the Giants preferring to hold Derksen to his contract. After spending four seasons with the Giants without playing an AFL game, Derksen was delisted at the end of the 2025 AFL season.[7] He returned to the Northern Territory to play with Nightcliff.[8]
Carlton
During the 2026 pre-season, Derksen was invited to train with the Carlton Football Club for an AFL list spot.[9] He drove for four days from Darwin to Melbourne in an attempt to return to an AFL list.[10] He was eventually added to Carlton's list on 23 February, via the 2026 Pre-season supplemental selection period.[11] He was named to make his AFL debut in round 4 of the 2026 AFL season against North Melbourne.[12] He performed well on debut, collecting eleven disposals and five intercept possessions in the loss.
Statistics
Updated to the end of round 6, 2026.[13]
G |
Goals | K |
Kicks | D |
Disposals | T |
Tackles |
B |
Behinds | H |
Handballs | M |
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | Votes | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | |||||
| 2022 | Greater Western Sydney | 45[14] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2023 | Greater Western Sydney | 45[15] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2024 | Greater Western Sydney | 45[16] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2025 | Greater Western Sydney | 45[17] | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 |
| 2026 | Carlton | 47 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | |
| Career | 2 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 8 | 2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 7.5 | 3.0 | 10.5 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||
