Jhye Clark

Jhye Clark (born 23 July 2004) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by Geelong with their first pick in the 2022 AFL draft, pick 8 overall.

Queenscliff
Clark played his junior football with Queenscliff, regularly filling in for matches above his age level. Clark's talent was on display from an early age, when in 2018 he booted 60 goals for the season in the Coutas' under-15 team. He was named in the best players for all but one of his 16 matches, despite playing the majority of them as a 13-year-old, and represented the Geelong Falcons in that year's V/Line Cup. The following year, Clark made his senior debut for Queenscliff in their 2019 final-round clash against Ocean Grove, just a month after turning 15. Under the coaching tutelage of his father Steve, the Coutas ran away 73-point winners and Clark kicked a goal in what would be his only Bellarine league match.

Geelong Falcons
After interrupted junior seasons in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clark captained the Falcons in the 2022 NAB League Boys season and won the club's best and fairest award. Clark was also co-captain of Vic Country during the 2022 AFL National Championships, where he was named most valuable player for his state, and selected as a midfielder in the All-Australian team. Clark averaged 25 and 23 disposals per game for the Falcons and Vic Country respectively, and was often touted as a player with similar attributes to Joel Selwood.

Senior career
Clark made his AFL debut in round 9 of the 2023 AFL season against Richmond as the tactical substitute. He was activated late in the third quarter and finished with four kicks, two handballs and five tackles from his 25 per cent time on ground. Clark was subsequently sidelined with a navicular stress reaction in his foot for the following months.