| Jed Walter | |
| Fullname: | Jed Walter |
| Nickname: | Walt Disney[1] |
| Birth Date: | 8 June 2005 |
| Birth Place: | Perth |
| Originalteam: | Palm Beach Currumbin (QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy (Talent League) |
| Height: | 195cm |
| Weight: | 97kg |
| Draftpick: | No. 3, 2023 AFL draft |
| Position: | Key Forward |
| Guernsey: | 17 |
| Years1: | 2024– |
| Games Goals1: | 5 (6) |
| Statsend: | round 7, 2024 |
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.[2]
Walter was born in South Perth[3] and spent the early years of his life in Western Australia before moving to the Gold Coast at nine years of age.[4] 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[5] alongside future Gold Coast Suns teammates Ethan Read and Will Graham.[6] 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.[7] 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.[8]
Walter was invited to take part in the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age[9] 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.[10] 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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13]
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.[14] 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.[15]
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.[16] 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.[17] He made his AFL debut at 18 years of age in round 2 of the 2024 season against the Western Bulldogs in Ballarat.[18]