Peter Wright (Australian footballer)

Peter Wright (born 7 September 1996) is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL), having been initially drafted to the Gold Coast Suns with pick 8 in the 2014 AFL draft.

Peter Wright
Wright playing for Essendon in 2025
Personal information
Full name	Peter Wright
Nickname(s)	Two-metre Peter, Seven-seater Peter[1]
Date of birth	(1996-09-07) 7 September 1996 (age 28)
Original team(s)	Calder Cannons (TAC Cup)
Draft	No. 8, 2014 national draft
Height	203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Weight	102 kg (225 lb)
Position(s)	Key Forward
Club information
Current club	Essendon
Number	20
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
2015–2020	Gold Coast	66 (85)
2021–	Essendon	87(148)
Total		153(233)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 24 2025.
Career highlights
Crichton Medal: 2022 Essendon leading goalkicker: 2022 22under22 team: 2017 AFL Rising Star nominee: 2016
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

AFL career

Wright playing for Gold Coast in 2017

Gold Coast: 2015–2020

Wright established himself as a key marking forward, using his considerable height to his advantage. Wright made his debut in Round 10, 2015, kicking a goal in a losing effort against Sydney. In Round 11, 2017, Wright kicked the winning goal against West Coast for the Suns’ first win against the Eagles. After his debut season, Wright became a regular of the team, barely missing a game. In 2018, he suffered a knee injury that required rehab. Wright played 17 out of a possible 22 games in season 2019, but the emergence of Ben King in 2019 and the return of Zac Smith meant Wright wasn't able to get a game in 2020.

Essendon: 2021–

After six years at the Suns, he was traded to Essendon for more opportunities after the 2020 AFL season. Wright made an immediate impact, playing a pivotal role in Essendon’s forward line in the 2021 season. His best performance was in Round 21, where Wright kicked seven goals against the Western Bulldogs in a 13-point win. ^[2] In Round 8 of the 2022 AFL season, Wright kicked 6 goals in the Bombers’ win over Hawthorn. In Round 14, Wright starred in their upset win against St Kilda, achieving four goals and 14 disposals. At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Wright was named Essendon Best and Fairest, winning the prestigious Crichton Medal as well as the club’s Leading Goalkicker award for his 53-goal season haul.

On 17 March, before Round 1 of the 2023 AFL season, Wright dislocated his shoulder during training after landing awkwardly in a marking contest and has since had a reconstruction of his shoulder.^[3]

Following the round two, 2024 match between the Sydney Swans and Essendon, Wright received a four-match suspension for a crude bump on Sydney defender Harry Cunningham, which resulted in him being substituted out of the match after only five minutes of play in the opening quarter.^[4]

Statistics

Statistics are correct to the end of Round 24 2025^[5]

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
2015	Gold Coast	30	3	1	1	12	5	17	8	3	0.3	0.3	4.0	1.7	5.7	2.7	1.0	0
2016	Gold Coast	30	17	27	10	106	89	195	83	27	1.6	0.6	6.2	5.2	11.5	4.9	1.6	3
2017	Gold Coast	30	22	31	19	159	117	276	121	35	1.4	0.9	7.2	5.3	12.6	5.5	1.6	0
2018	Gold Coast	30	7	5	4	43	29	72	33	18	0.7	0.6	6.1	4.1	10.3	4.7	2.6	0
2019	Gold Coast	30	17	21	13	144	60	204	85	26	1.2	0.8	8.5	3.5	12.0	5.0	1.5	0
2020	Gold Coast	30	0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	–
2021	Essendon	20	21	29	14	146	100	246	90	37	1.4	0.7	6.9	4.8	11.7	4.3	1.8	5
2022	Essendon	20	22	53	26	181	63	244	128	15	2.4	1.2	8.2	2.9	11.1	5.8	0.7	8
2023	Essendon	20	10	19	10	64	32	96	44	13	1.9	1.0	6.4	3.2	9.6	4.4	1.3	0
2024	Essendon	20	14	19	7	91	67	158	60	19	1.4	0.5	6.5	4.8	11.3	4.3	1.4	2
2025	Essendon	20	19	28	20	142	83	225	88	45	1.4	1.0	7.4	4.3	11.8	4.6	2.3	0
Career			152	233	124	1088	645	1733	740	239	1.5	0.8	7.1	4.2	11.4	4.8	1.5	18