Charlie Curnow

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Charlie Curnow
Curnow playing for Carlton in 2017
Personal information
Full name Charles Curnow
Born (1997-02-03) 3 February 1997 (age 28)
Original team Geelong Falcons (TAC Cup)/Geelong College (APS)
Draft No. 12, 2015 national draft
Debut Round 2, 2016, Carlton vs. Sydney, at Etihad Stadium
Height 194 cm (6 ft 4 in)
Weight 94 kg (207 lb)
Position Key Forward
Club information
Current club Sydney
Number 35
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2016–2025 Carlton 149 (313)
2026– Sydney 0 (0)
Total 149 (313)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2025.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Charles Curnow (born 3 February 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays as a key forward for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played 149 games for Carlton between 2016 and 2025.

Widely praised for his dominance and athleticism,[1] Curnow is a two-time winner of the Coleman Medal, awarded to the leading goalkicker in the home-and-away season. He has been named in the All-Australian team twice, and was Carlton's leading goalkicker five times.

Curnow was drafted by Carlton with the 12th pick in the 2015 national draft.[2] After suffering multiple serious knee injuries that kept him sidelined for extended periods between 2019 and 2021,[3] he made a successful comeback in 2022, re-establishing himself as one of the league's elite forwards before being traded to the Sydney Swans at the end of the 2025 season.[4] His older brother, Ed Curnow, also played for Carlton.

Early life

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Curnow grew up on a hobby farm in Bellbrae, Victoria, near Geelong. He is one of five children born to parents Dave and Cassie Curnow.[5]

Curnow attended Geelong College for his schooling and played his state level under-18s football for the Geelong Falcons in the TAC Cup. His draft year in 2015 was significantly interrupted by a dislocated kneecap injury, meaning he missed the under-18 national championships.[6] Despite having played limited games, his athleticism and potential meant he remained a top prospect.[7]

Career

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Curnow was selected by Carlton with the twelfth pick in the 2015 national draft.

Carlton (2016–2025)

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2016–2018: Early years and breakout

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Curnow made his debut in round 2 of the 2016 season against the Sydney Swans at Docklands Stadium.[8] He played six games in his debut year.

The 2017 season marked a year of emergence for Curnow, playing 21 games, averaging over 14 disposals and kicked 20 goals. His performance against Melbourne in round 16 earned him a Rising Star nomination.[9] He was frequently rotated between the key forward position and the wing. He also earned selection in the 22 Under 22 team for the first of two consecutive seasons.

In 2018, Curnow played 20 games and kicking 34 goals, earning him his first leading goalkicker award at Carlton. He was recognised as one of the team's best, finishing equal-third in the John Nicholls Medal[10] and secured his second consecutive 22 Under 22 selection. He signed a four-year contract extension, committing to the club until 2023.[11]

2019–2021: Injury struggles

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Following his breakout season, Curnow's career was derailed by persistent injuries to his right knee, limiting him to just 15 games across the next three seasons.

In 2019, after a strong start to the season, including a then career-high seven goals against the Western Bulldogs in round 13, Curnow suffered medial ligament damage in his right knee in the following match, ending his season at 11 games played.[12]

Curnow missed the entire 2020 season after suffering a multitude of highly-publicised setbacks involving the same knee. Including dislocating his right kneecap during a social basketball session as well as fracturing the patella and required multiple surgeries to insert and remove wires and screws.[13] Complications continued in 2021, including a hairline stress response in the patella, meaning Curnow did not return to the senior side until the final four games of the season and only managed two goals in those four appearances.[3]

2022–2025: Dual Coleman Medallist and trade

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Curnow had a return to form in the 2022 season, playing every game and proving the goal-kicking prowess that his early career showed. He won his first Coleman Medal as the league's leading goalkicker, finishing with 64 goals.[14] He and teammate Harry McKay (the 2021 winner) became the first pair of different players from the same side to win consecutive leading goalkickers award since 1900 and 1901.[15] He was selected in his first All-Australian team. At the end of the season, Curnow signed a six-year contract extension, tying him to Carlton until the end of the 2029 season.[16]

The 2023 season saw Curnow solidify himself as the league's top key forward, winning back-to-back Coleman Medals with 81 goals. He set a new career-high when he kicked nine goals in round 7 against the West Coast Eagles,[17] a feat he later surpassed by kicking 10 in the rematch against the Eagles. Curnow became the first Carlton player to kick double-digit goals since Stephen Kernahan in 1995. He was again named in the All-Australian team.

The 2024 and 2025 seasons saw Curnow remain Carlton's leading goalkicker, though he struggled with persisting knee issues again in 2025, playing 18 games before undergoing season-ending surgery. At the conclusion of the 2025 season, Curnow requested a trade, with Geelong and the Sydney Swans being front-runners.

Sydney Swans (2026–)

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Curnow's trade to the Swans was finalised on the final day of the 2025 trade period, seeing Curnow join the club in exchange for a package including multiple draft picks. Upon joining the club, Curnow chose to wear the number 35 guernsey, the same number his brother Ed wore during his career at Carlton.[18]

Statistics

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Updated to the end of 2025.[19]

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
  †  
 Led the league for 
the season
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game) Votes
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2016 Carlton 30 6 5 2 35 25 60 18 9 0.8 0.3 5.8 4.2 10.0 3.0 1.5 0
2017 Carlton 30 21 20 12 207 90 297 119 61 1.0 0.6 9.9 4.3 14.1 5.7 2.9 0
2018 Carlton 30 20 34 20 206 71 277 123 42 1.7 1.0 10.3 3.6 13.9 6.2 2.1 3
2019 Carlton 30 11 18 8 115 20 135 49 17 1.6 0.7 10.5 1.8 12.2 4.5 1.6 3
2020 Carlton 30 0 – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2021 Carlton 30 4 2 5 35 14 49 16 6 0.5 1.3 8.8 3.5 12.3 4.0 1.5 0
2022 Carlton 30 22 64 † 42† 231 33 264 126 35 2.9 1.9 10.5 1.5 12.0 5.7 1.6 11
2023 Carlton 30 26 81 † 44† 280 76 356 180 27 3.1 1.7 10.8 2.9 13.7 6.9 1.0 17
2024 Carlton 30 21 57 41 214 40 254 125 20 2.7 2.0 † 10.2 1.9 12.1 6.0 1.0 2
2025 Carlton 30 18 32 27 177 35 212 107 21 1.8 1.5 9.8 1.9 11.8 5.9 1.2 0
Career 149 313 201 1500 404 1904 863 238 2.1 1.4 10.1 2.7 12.8 5.8 1.6 36

Honours and achievements

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Individual

References

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  1. ^ "Top 25 of '25: AFL stars set to dominate this season, ranked". The West Australian. 27 February 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  2. ^ "Pick 12: Charlie Curnow". Carlton Football Club. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b Sam McClure (17 March 2021). "'I feel sorry for him': What happened to Charlie Curnow, and can he still be the next Kouta?". The Age. Melbourne, VIC.
  4. ^ "Swans win the race to land star Blue in blockbuster trade". AFL. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  5. ^ "'A genuine freak': Inside the making, and re-making, of Charlie Curnow". afl.com.au. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  6. ^ Callum Twomey (26 October 2015). "29 days to the draft: Meet contested beast Charlie Curnow". Australian Football League. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  7. ^ Jon Ralph (29 June 2018). "The reason why Charlie Curnow slid to No.12 in the 2015 national draft". Herald Sun.
  8. ^ "Carlton Vs Sydney Swans". AFL.com.au. Telstra. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  9. ^ McGowan, Marc (10 July 2017). "Give me five: Blues bag yet another nomination". AFL.com.au. Telstra. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
  10. ^ "Cripps claims second John Nicholls Medal". Carlton Football Club. 5 October 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  11. ^ "Curnow commits". Carlton Football Club. 21 June 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  12. ^ Wallace, Julian (15 June 2019). "Match report: Blues v Dogs". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  13. ^ "Blues wanted hurt AFL star to play hoops". ESPN.com. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  14. ^ "Coleman Medal leaderboard 2022: Charlie Curnow claims honour". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  15. ^ "Blues pair achieve rare feat after Charlie Curnow seals Coleman". www.sen.com.au. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  16. ^ Pierik, Jon; Vinali, Jon (19 August 2022). "Curnow signs with Blues until 2029; Star Magpies take to track". The Age. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
  17. ^ Nathan Schmook (1 May 2023). "Blues cruise: King Charles bags nine as Carlton crushes Eagles". www.afl.com.au. Retrieved 29 April 2023.
  18. ^ "2026 guernsey numbers unveiled". sydneyswans.com.au. 25 November 2025. Retrieved 26 November 2025.
  19. ^ "Charlie Curnow". AFL Tables. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
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