Josh Draper

Josh Draper
Josh Draper
	Draper in April 2025
Personal information
Full name	Joshua Draper
Date of birth	8 February 2004 (age 21)
Original team(s)	Peel Thunder
Draft	Category B rookie signing, 2022 National draft, Fremantle
Debut	Round 2, 2024, Fremantle vs. North Melbourne, at Marvel Stadium
Height	197 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Position(s)	Key Defender
Club information
Current club	Fremantle
Number	37
Playing career1
Years	Club
2023–	Fremantle
	1 Playing statistics correct to the end of the 2025 season.
Career highlights
	AFL Rising Star nominee: 2024; 22under22 team: 2024; Beacon Award: 2024;
	Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Joshua Draper is an Australian rules footballer, currently playing for Fremantle in the Australian Football League.

AFL career

Fremantle (2023–)

Draper was signed as a Category B Rookie from Fremantle's Next Generation Academy in the 2022 AFL draft. He qualified due to Ethiopian heritage on his mother's side.^[1]

2024 season

He played for the reserve side, Peel Thunder in the WAFL, for his first season at the club.^[2] In Round 1 of the 2024 AFL season, Fremantle conceded two injuries to key defenders Brennan Cox and Oscar McDonald.^[3] This provided Draper with his opportunity to debut for the senior team in Round 2 against North Melbourne at Marvel Stadium.^[4] On debut, Draper collected 7 disposals in a 26-point win away from home.^[5] Due to this solid performance on debut, Draper kept his spot in the team for Fremantle's Round 3 clash with Adelaide in the west. Draper played even better in this match collecting 14 disposals and 4 marks. Josh made the journey east for Fremantle's two-week stint in Adelaide, first facing Carlton in the Gather Round, and Port Adelaide the following week. Perhaps his best game came in Round sixteen against Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground. With Fremantle captain and key defender Alex Pearce missing the game due to injury, Draper was tasked with playing on some of the Swans most dangerous forwards and was instrumental in the one-point win. He finished with 14 disposals and a career-high 11 spoils.^[6] He received a 2024 AFL Rising Star nomination for his career-high 18-disposal game at 94 percent efficiency during Western Derby 59.^[7] He signed a two-year contract extension on August 12, to remain at Fremantle until at least the end of 2027.^[8]

Statistics

AFL Statistics

Updated to the end of the 2025 season^[9]

**Legend**
G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks


Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)
Season	Team	No.	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2023	Fremantle	37	0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
2024	Fremantle	37	20	0	0	104	95	199	80	17	0.0	0.0	5.2	4.8	10.0	4.0	0.9
2025	Fremantle	37	11	0	0	48	38	86	27	19	0.0	0.0	4.4	3.5	7.8	2.5	1.7
Career			31	0	0	152	133	285	107	36	0.0	0.0	4.9	4.3	9.2	3.5	1.2

WAFL Statistics

Updated to the end of round 13, 2025^[10]

**Legend**
G	Goals	K	Kicks	D	Disposals	T	Tackles
B	Behinds	H	Handballs	M	Marks


Season	Team	No.	Games	Totals							Averages (per game)
Season	Team	No.	Games	G	B	K	H	D	M	T	G	B	K	H	D	M	T
2023	Peel Thunder	61	11	0	0	55	44	99	36	15	0.0	0.0	5.0	4.0	9.0	3.3	1.4
2024	Peel Thunder	39	1	0	0	3	6	9	3	2	0.0	0.0	3.0	6.0	9.0	3.0	2.0
2025	Peel Thunder	4,7,19	4	0	0	31	31	62	17	5	0.0	0.0	7.8	7.8	15.6	4.3	1.3
Career			16	0	0	86	75	161	53	20	0.0	0.0	5.4	4.7	10.1	3.3	1.3