Josh Lindsay is a defender and midfielder for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League, picked up with selection 19 in the 2025 AFL draft. In the space of ten rounds during his debut season, the left-footed Victorian went from being dropped after round one to earning a Telstra AFL Rising Star nomination.
That turnaround is why his name is showing up in more searches this year. Lindsay is not a household name yet, and his own club still calls him a “young gun.” But his disposal efficiency, his backstory, and the way he clawed his way back into West Coast’s line-up have made him one of the more interesting first-year stories in the competition.
Who Is Josh Lindsay? Quick Facts
- Full name: Josh Lindsay
- Born: April 7, 2007, in Leopold, Victoria
- Height: 183 cm (6 feet)
- Position: Defender and midfielder
- Club: West Coast Eagles
- Draft: Pick 19, 2025 AFL National Draft
- AFL debut: Round 1, 2026, against the Gold Coast Suns
- Notable honor: AFL Rising Star nominee, Round 10, 2026
From Leopold to the Eagles’ Nest
Lindsay grew up in Leopold, a town just outside Geelong in regional Victoria, and started out playing junior football with Newtown & Chilwell Eagles. He went to school at Geelong Grammar and moved through the pathway system with the Geelong Falcons in the Coates Talent League, where he built a reputation as a composed, clean-kicking left-footer.
His draft year was a strong one. He represented the AFL Academy and was named best on ground in the National Under-17 Futures match. He also earned selection in the Coates Talent League Team of the Year and the Under-18 All-Australian squad, and he represented Vic Country at the Marsh AFL National Championships.
The Draft Slide That Led Him to Perth
Heading into the 2025 AFL draft, several recruiters had Lindsay pegged as a top-10 talent. Draft night did not go that way. He slid into the late teens, and West Coast traded up one spot specifically to make sure they landed him at pick 19.
West Coast’s own recruiting staff described him on draft night as one of the more composed left-footers in his class, someone who reads the game well and rarely panics under pressure. That kind of scouting language is common around draft time, but it lines up with how he has actually played once he reached AFL level, particularly in his willingness to take the ball under a chase rather than dispose of it early.
He joined a group of fellow first-year Eagles that included fellow first-round picks Willem Duursma and Cooper Duff-Tytler, along with mature-age recruit Milan Murdock. All four made their AFL debuts together in round one of the 2026 season, giving West Coast one of the larger rookie intakes in the competition that year.
A Rookie Season of Highs and Lows
Dropped After Round One
Lindsay’s first AFL game came in round one against the Gold Coast Suns at Carrara Stadium. It did not lead to an immediate run in the side. He was dropped the following week, a setback he later described as a genuine disappointment rather than a minor bump.
Back In, and a Derby Goal to Remember
He fought his way back into the team and was part of the group that celebrated West Coast’s first win of the season, against Port Adelaide. A few weeks later, in round six against Fremantle at Optus Stadium, he kicked the first goal of his AFL career during the Western Derby.
For a player who lines up mostly as a backman, that moment stood out. Lindsay called it a surreal feeling, since defenders rarely get close enough to the goals to add their name to the scoresheet.
The goal itself came off a passage that started with teammate Elliot Yeo, who set the play up before Lindsay found space to finish it. It was a small moment in a season that also featured established names like Tim Kelly and Harley Reid, and it was a reminder that even a rookie defender can have his say in a game built around bigger stars.
The Backyard Habit Behind His Kicking
Long before he pulled on an Eagles guernsey, Lindsay built his kicking game the unglamorous way. Growing up in regional Victoria, he had a morning routine of kicking footballs into a rebound net set up in his family’s garage.
That habit followed him west. At West Coast’s training base, he has turned the club’s indoor training area, known internally as “the shed,” into an extension of that same routine, refining the accuracy that now shows up in his disposal numbers on game day.
Rising Star: How Round 10 Put Him on the Map
Lindsay earned his Telstra AFL Rising Star nomination for his performance in round 10 against Greater Western Sydney, a game West Coast won from behind. He finished with 19 disposals at 95 percent efficiency, six marks, three tackles, and 375 meters gained.
He became the third Eagle nominated for the award in 2026, following teammates Jobe Shanahan and Willem Duursma. West Coast has now had eight different players nominated for the Rising Star since 2023, a group that also includes Reuben Ginbey, Elijah Hewett, Harley Reid, Tyrell Dewar, and Clay Hall.
A Front-Row Seat to AFL History
Four days after his nomination, Lindsay and the Eagles traveled to the MCG to face Collingwood in a game that doubled as Scott Pendlebury’s 433rd AFL match, a new all-time record for games played. Lindsay was candid about the scale of the occasion, joking that Pendlebury had likely debuted before Lindsay was even born.
It is the kind of detail that says as much about Lindsay as any stat line. A teenager who was still playing junior football in Geelong a couple of years earlier was suddenly sharing a ground with a player whose career had outlasted his entire lifetime, and treating it as a chance to test himself rather than a distraction.
Playing Style and Role at the Eagles
Lindsay is used mainly off half-back, with the flexibility to push into the midfield when needed. Teammate Mitch Duncan has trusted him with kick-in duties in multiple games this season, a responsibility usually reserved for settled, reliable users of the football.
By his own admission, he is still working out when to attempt a difficult, penetrating kick and when to simply find a safe outlet. Through 13 games to the end of round 22, 2026, he has kicked one goal, with most of his value coming from ball use and defensive pressure rather than scoreboard impact.
Settling Into Life in Perth
Off the field, Lindsay has leaned on his friendship with fellow draftee Cooper Duff-Tytler to adjust to life away from Victoria. The pair share cooking duties, alternating between steak and chicken on different nights, and have pushed each other through the routines of a first AFL season.
Lindsay has spoken about enjoying his move to Perth, while also relishing the chance to return home to Victoria for games against Victorian clubs in front of family and friends. He has described the differences between Geelong and Perth as an adjustment, though one that has gone smoothly so far.
Not to Be Confused With Another AFL Lindsay
Anyone searching this name can run into a mix-up worth clearing up. Xavier Lindsay is a separate player, a midfielder for Melbourne who was drafted a year earlier, in 2024, and who won the Morrish Medal before his own AFL debut. The two share a surname and started their AFL careers around the same time, but they play for different clubs, in different positions, and have no reported family connection.
Josh Lindsay’s path runs through Geelong and the Falcons system into West Coast, while Xavier Lindsay came up through Gippsland Power into Melbourne. Keeping the two separate matters for anyone tracking stats, since fantasy football tools and general search results sometimes blend results for players who share a last name.
Career Timeline at a Glance
- 2025: Named in the Coates Talent League Team of the Year and Under-18 All-Australian squad while playing for Geelong Falcons
- November 2025: Drafted by West Coast with pick 19 in the AFL National Draft
- Round 1, 2026: Makes his AFL debut against the Gold Coast Suns
- Round 2, 2026: Dropped from the senior team
- Round 6, 2026: Kicks his first AFL goal in the Western Derby against Fremantle
- Round 10, 2026: Named the Telstra AFL Rising Star nominee after a standout game against Greater Western Sydney
What Comes Next for Josh Lindsay
Lindsay is still only one season into his AFL career, and his story is far from finished. A Rising Star nomination is a marker of early promise, not a guaranteed career outcome, and how he develops from here will depend on continued form, fitness, and selection.
One common search around young AFL players is net worth. For a rookie on an AFL list, individual contract and salary figures are not disclosed publicly by clubs, so no verified net worth figure exists for Lindsay at this stage. What is confirmed is a promising first year: a draft night slide, an early axing, a derby goal, and a Rising Star nomination that suggests West Coast may have found good value at pick 19.