Changkuoth Jiath

Changkuoth Jiath ( ; born 13 June 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Early life Born in Ethiopia to South Sudanese parents, Jiath moved to Australia when he was six years old. Living in the town of Morwell he played his junior football at the Morwell Youth Club. Changkuoth then went on to play senior football at the Morwell Tigers Football Club. Because his name was hard for others to pronounce, Jiath adopted the nickname "CJ" to make it easier for people to address him. He completed high school while boarding at Xavier College in Melbourne. During his time at Xavier, he forged close friendships with future AFL players Laitham Vandermeer and Bailey Smith.

AFL career Hawthorn (2018–2025) Jiath was selected as a 2017 category B rookie. He had a delayed start to the 2018 season when he suffered a groin injury during the pre-season. Jiath made his debut for , Hawthorn's VFL affiliate, mid-year and he showed good signs on the half back line. Jiath made his debut for Hawthorn in the snow for their round 21, 2019 game against . He ended up playing 2 games during the 2019 season. In the middle of the 2020 season, Jiath was upgraded to the senior list following changes to the rookie promotion rules.

The 2021 season ended up being a breakout year for Jiath as he grew with skill and confidence. Nearly averaging 20+ disposals for all 16 games he played in. Jiath's season was cut short due to a PCL injury which ruled him out for the remainder of the season.

Melbourne (2026–present) Jiath was traded to following the 2025 AFL season.

Family Jiath's younger brother Tew debuted for Collingwood in 2024.

Statistics Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.

89 !! 5 !! 11 !! 780 !! 603 !! 1383 !! 365 !! 151 !! 0.1 !! 0.1 !! 8.8 !! 6.8 !! 15.5 !! 4.1 !! 1.7 !! 8