Jeremy Finlayson

Jeremy Finlayson
Finlayson playing for Greater Western Sydney in April 2018
Personal information
Full name	Jeremy Finlayson
Born	(1996-02-09) 9 February 1996 (age 30) Albury, New South Wales
Original teams	Culcairn, Sydney Hills (NEAFL)
Draft	No. 85, 2014 national draft
Debut	Round 15, 2017, Greater Western Sydney vs. Geelong, at Spotless Stadium
Height	197 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Weight	94 kg (207 lb)
Position	Key forward / ruck
Playing career^1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2015–2021	Greater Western Sydney	066 0(90)
2022–2025	Port Adelaide	062 0(76)
Total		128 (166)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
2025	Indigenous All-Stars	1 (0)
^1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season.
Career highlights
Port Adelaide leading goalkicker: (2023)
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Jeremy Finlayson (born 9 February 1996) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for Greater Western Sydney and Port Adelaide in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Personal life

Finlayson was born in Culcairn, New South Wales, into a family of Indigenous Australian (Yorta Yorta) descent.^[1][2] He grew up playing an array of sports including cricket, lawn bowls and tennis but mostly focused on Australian rules football. Finlayson attended Billabong High School in Culcairn and played his junior football with the Culcairn Lions in the Hume Football League, making his senior debut for the club in 2012 at the age of 16.^[3]

In late 2012, he moved to Sydney to join the GWS Giants' academy program full time to increase his chances of being drafted.^[4] Finlayson was selected with the 85th pick in the 2014 AFL draft.^[5] He completed his high school education at Patrician Brothers' College, Blacktown.^[6]

Finlayson married Kellie Gardner in 2023. Kellie learned in August 2021 she was diagnosed with terminal lung and bowel cancer just a few months after giving birth to a daughter with her future husband;^[7] she started chemotherapy in 2024.^[8][9]

AFL career

Finlayson made his debut against Geelong at Spotless Stadium in Round 15 of the 2017 season.^[10]

Finlayson was traded to Port Adelaide via request, citing family reasons at the conclusion of the 2021 AFL season.^[11]

After four seasons at Port Adelaide, Finlayson was delisted at the end of the 2025 season.^[12]

Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2025 season.^[13]

Legend

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
2017	Greater Western Sydney	31	1	0	0	0	4	4	0	3	0.0	0.0	0.0	4.0	4.0	0.0	3.0	0
2018	Greater Western Sydney	31	14	4	1	161	68	229	55	14	0.3	0.1	11.5	4.9	16.4	3.9	1.0	0
2019	Greater Western Sydney	31	23	44	25	217	69	286	118	35	1.9	1.1	9.4	3.0	12.4	5.1	1.5	0
2020[a]	Greater Western Sydney	31	15	19	10	102	21	123	38	36	1.3	0.7	6.8	1.4	8.2	2.5	2.4	0
2021	Greater Western Sydney	31	13	23	9	106	35	141	40	15	1.8	0.7	8.2	2.7	10.8	3.1	1.2	2
2022	Port Adelaide	11	20	21	15	201	104	305	77	44	1.1	0.8	10.1	5.2	15.3	3.9	2.2	1
2023	Port Adelaide	11	22	38	38	207	72	279	102	40	1.7	1.7	9.4	3.3	12.7	4.6	1.8	6
2024	Port Adelaide	11	12	12	17	102	45	147	41	18	1.0	1.4	8.5	3.8	12.3	3.4	1.5	0
2025	Port Adelaide	11	8	5	5	51	20	71	29	8	0.6	0.6	6.4	2.5	8.9	3.6	1.0	0
Career			128	166	120	1147	438	1585	500	213	1.3	0.9	9.0	3.4	12.4	3.9	1.7	9

Notes

1. The 2020 season was played with 17 home-and-away matches per team (down from 22) and 16-minute quarters with time on (down from 20-minute quarters with time on) due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

References

1. "AFL Players Launch 2019 Indigenous Map" (PDF). AFL Players Association. 20 May 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
2. Forsaith, Rob (28 May 2019). "GWS star eyes AFL Indigenous coach pathway". Blue Mountains Gazette. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
3. "2012 Hume Football League Player Statistics- Jeremy Finlayson". SportsTG.com. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
4. Ryan, Peter (19 April 2019). "Jeremy Finlayson's giant climb to the starting line". The Age. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
5. Giese, Susie (21 November 2018). "The Draft's Hidden Gems". gwsgiants.com.au. Retrieved 21 July 2019.
6. Ryan, Peter (19 April 2018). "Jeremy Finlayson's giant climb to the starting line". The Age. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
7. Kemp, Miles (9 April 2023). "'Hope she's watching. I love her so much': Finlayson's tearful tribute to Kellie". adelaidenow. Retrieved 29 May 2023.
8. Madigan, Nicole (29 December 2023). "'Before I married my husband, he already knew he'd soon be a single dad.'". Mamamia. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
9. "Kellie Finlayson's difficult cancer update: 'Today we start another fight'". 7NEWS. 16 January 2024. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
10. Moir, David (30 June 2017). "GWS youngster Finlayson set for AFL debut". The Northern Star. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
11. @AFL_House (6 October 2021). "Trade paperwork lodged" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
12. "Port Adelaide axes FIVE players as post-Hinkley era begins". AFL Media. 25 August 2025.
13. "Jeremy Finlayson". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 February 2026.

External links

• Jeremy Finlayson's profile on the official website of the Port Adelaide Football Club
• Jeremy Finlayson's playing statistics from AFL Tables
• Jeremy Finlayson at AustralianFootball.com