Changkuoth Jiath

Changkuoth Jiath (/ˈtʃæŋkwɒθ dʒiːˈæθ/ CHANG-kwoth jee-ATH;^[1] born 13 June 1999) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Changkuoth Jiath
Jiath playing for Box Hill in 2024
Personal information
Full name	Changkuoth Jiath
Nickname	CJ
Born	(1999-06-13) 13 June 1999 (age 26) Mekelle, Ethiopia
Original team	Gippsland Power (NAB League)/Xavier College (APS)/Morwell Tigers (GL)
Draft	Category B rookie signing, 2018 rookie draft
Debut	Round 21, 2019, Hawthorn vs. Greater Western Sydney, at UNSW Canberra Oval
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	78 kg (172 lb)
Position	Defender / midfielder
Club information
Current club	Melbourne
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2018–2025	Hawthorn	76 (5)
2026–	Melbourne	00 (0)
Total		76 (5)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2025.
Career highlights
22under22 team: 2021 VFL premiership player: 2018
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Born in Ethiopia to South Sudanese parents, Jiath moved to Australia when he was six years old.^[2] 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.^[3] During his time at Xavier, he forged close friendships with future AFL players Laitham Vandermeer and Bailey Smith.^[4]

AFL career

Known as CJ, 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 Box Hill mid year 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 Greater Western Sydney.^[5] 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.^[6]

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.

Jiath was traded to Melbourne following the 2025 AFL season.^[7]

Family

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

Statistics

Updated to the end of 2025.^[8]

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
2018	Hawthorn	43	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	0
2019	Hawthorn	29	2	0	0	10	19	29	7	5	0.0	0.0	5.0	9.5	14.5	3.5	2.5	0
2020[a]	Hawthorn	29	5	0	0	27	21	48	13	8	0.0	0.0	5.4	4.2	9.6	2.6	1.6	0
2021	Hawthorn	29	16	0	2	172	152	324	93	26	0.0	0.1	10.8	9.5	20.3	5.8	1.6	2
2022	Hawthorn	9	15	1	2	141	113	254	63	29	0.1	0.1	10.1	8.1	18.1	4.5	2.1	6
2023	Hawthorn	9	8	1	0	77	59	136	28	10	0.1	0.0	9.6	7.4	17.0	3.5	1.3	0
2024	Hawthorn	9	11	3	4	76	55	131	33	22	0.3	0.4	6.9	5.0	11.9	3.0	2.0	0
2025	Hawthorn	9	20	0	3	153	123	276	54	32	0.0	0.2	7.7	6.2	13.8	2.7	1.6	0
Career			76	5	11	656	542	1198	291	132	0.1	0.1	8.6	7.1	15.8	3.8	1.7	8

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.

Honours and achievements

Team

• McClelland Trophy (Hawthorn): 2024
• VFL premiership player (Box Hill): 2018

Individual

• 22under22 team: 2021