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Graham Wright (born 6 June 1968) is an Australian rules football administrator and former player. Wright played for Collingwood in the Australian Football League, and is the current deputy CEO of the Carlton Football Club.

Playing career

Wright was selected by Collingwood in the 1987 National draft with their first round pick (No. 3 overall) as a quick wingman, having shown great courage for Tasmanian side East Devonport. Making his debut in 1988, Wright took his time to prove his value as a first-round draftee but in 1990 he had a fantastic year which saw him rise in ranking amongst the top wingmen in the league. Wright finished 2nd in the Brownlow Medal to Tony Liberatore by one vote in 1990, and then finished equal 3rd in the Copeland Trophy. Perhaps more importantly, Wright was a valuable member of the 1990 premiership side. He represented Tasmania, Victoria and the Allies in interstate football during his career.

A shock came to coach Leigh Matthews and players at the end of 1991 when Wright announced he wanted to return to Tasmania to play football, but was talked out of it by Matthews. In 1993 he was a victim of a disease which threatened his playing career, but he recovered in the pre-season to continue playing his damaging football on the wing. Consistent football followed in the mid-1990s before he suffered a knee injury in 1996 against Richmond which would require a knee reconstruction. Following the season-ending injury, his main asset of pace was severely affected, and he would play out his career in defence where his courage gave him an edge. Wright played his 200th game against Carlton in 1998, before retiring from the AFL at the end of the 1998 season.

Wright played two further seasons of senior football for Burnie in the Tasmanian Statewide League before retiring from playing. He was inducted into the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.

Administrator

In his first years after retirement, Wright served suburban and state level coaching roles at North Ringwood (2002–2003) and Springvale (2004). With an MBA in Sports Management, in 2004, Wright took on his first AFL administrative role as recruiter for the Brisbane Lions. He shifted to Hawthorn in the same role in 2007, becoming the recruiting and list manager at Hawthorn in June 2011. He served a key role in the reconstruction of Hawthorn's team during these years, responsible for bringing Shaun Burgoyne, David Hale, Josh Gibson, Jack Gunston, Jonathan Simpkin and Brian Lake to the club, which formed part of the core of Hawthorn's three consecutive premierships from 2013 to 2015.

Wright was promoted to Head of Football at Hawthorn in 2018. In 2021, he returned to Collingwood as General Manager of Football, overseeing the club's 2023 premiership in that position. In 2025, he joined Carlton as Deputy CEO, under a succession plan which will see him take over as CEO from Brian Cook from 2026.

References

1. ^ "124. Graham Wright". Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
2. Bradshaw, Finn (14 June 2011). "Graham Wright takes over Hawks recruiting". Herald Sun. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
3. "The building of a machine". 29 September 2013.
4. "Wright appointed Deputy CEO in leadership succession". Carlton Football Club. 9 October 2024. Retrieved 25 December 2024.

External links

• Graham Wright's playing statistics from AFL Tables

• 1968 births
• Living people
• Australian rules footballers from Tasmania
• Collingwood Football Club players
• Collingwood Football Club premiership players
• East Devonport Football Club players
• Tasmanian State of Origin players
• Casey Demons coaches
• Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame inductees
• Sportspeople from Devonport, Tasmania
• Allies State of Origin players
• Victorian State of Origin players
• Burnie Dockers Football Club players
• VFL/AFL premiership players
• Carlton Football Club administrators