Jed Walter

Jed Walter is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by as the number three pick in the 2023 AFL draft as the Suns matched 's bid.

Early life
Walter was born in South Perth and spent the early years of his life in Western Australia before moving to the Gold Coast at nine years of age. He began playing junior football for the first time shortly after arriving in Queensland when he signed up to play under-9s for the Palm Beach Currumbin Lions alongside future Gold Coast Suns teammates Ethan Read and Will Graham. He grew up a West Coast Eagles supporter but has stated that he always had a soft spot for the Gold Coast Suns throughout his upbringing. He was educated at renowned sporting school Palm Beach Currumbin State High School and played a starring role in their 2022 AFL Queensland State Championship win.

Walter was invited to take part in the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age and began gaining local prominence two months after his 13th birthday when he was awarded the Gold Coast Junior AFL U14s Player of the Year award in 2018. A year later he was selected to represent Queensland as a bottom ager at the U15 Australian Football Championships and his strong performances in that carnival earned him selection as the centre half-forward in the U15 All-Australian team. In July 2021, he made his senior QAFL debut for Palm Beach Currumbin a month after his 16th birthday and kicked two goals in an impressive performance. In 2022, Walter was coached by newly arrived Palm Beach Currumbin teammate Liam Jones during his AFL hiatus in which he lived and played in southern Queensland.

Walter was selected to represent the Allies as a bottom ager in the 2022 U18 National Championships and put together several dominant performances that led to him being named as the starting U18 All-Australian centre half-forward at the conclusion of the tournament. He was considered a top draft prospect leading into the 2023 season and proved his worth by guiding the Allies to a historic first U18 National Championship win in which the team went undefeated and Walter was subsequently named as the starting U18 All-Australian centre half-forward for a second consecutive year.

AFL career
Walter became the second Queensland product after Nick Riewoldt to be drafted with a top three draft selection when the Gold Coast Suns matched a pick three bid from North Melbourne in the 2023 AFL draft. In January 2024, after impressing many onlookers during his first AFL pre-season, Walter broke his collarbone and subsequently missed the early rounds of the 2024 AFL season. He made his AFL debut at 18 years of age in round 2 of the 2024 season against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.