Cooper Lord

Cooper Lord
Personal information
Nickname Scoop[1]
Born (2005-03-20) 20 March 2005
Original team Kew Football Club/Scotch College/Sandringham Dragons
Draft No. 9, 2024 mid-season rookie draft
Debut Round 23, 2024, Carlton vs. West Coast, at Perth Stadium
Height 184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Position Midfielder
Club information
Current club Carlton
Number 36
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2024– Carlton 25 (6)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of round 1, 2026.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Cooper Lord (born 20 March 2005) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Carlton Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Junior and VFL career

Lord played in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA) in 2021 and 2022 for the Kew Football Club. He also played for his school, Scotch College, where he was often used as a nullifying midfielder.[2]

Lord then played in the Coates Talent League for the Sandringham Dragons.[3] He was a part of Sandringham's 2023 premiership side, having 31 disposals and 5 clearances in the Coates Talent League Grand Final.[4]

Following the 2023 AFL draft, in which Lord failed to be selected, he signed on with the North Melbourne Football Club's VFL team.[5]

AFL career

2024

Lord averaged 17 disposals while playing in the VFL, with his form resulting in the Carlton Football Club selecting him with pick 9 of the 2024 mid-season rookie draft.[6]

After averaging over 25 disposals a game for Carlton's VFL side in 2024, Lord made his debut against the West Coast Eagles in round 23 of the 2024 AFL season.[7] He amassed 15 disposals and 2 clearances in a 65-point win.[8]

2025

In the pre-season following the conclusion of the 2024 AFL season Lord signed a one-year extension with Carlton.[1]

In round 10 of the 2025 AFL season against the Sydney Swans, Lord had 19 disposals and four score involvements to earn himself a nomination for the 2025 AFL rising star.[9]

After being the starting substitute seven times in 2025,[10] Lord began to cement his position towards the end of the year, being used in several tagging roles, notably against Noah Anderson and Caleb Serong.[11][12] In round 23 of the 2025 season against Port Adelaide, Lord, while performing a tagging role against Zak Butters, was concussed from a bump by Port Adelaide midfielder Ollie Wines, ruling him out for the final game of the season.[13][14]

Lord capped of his second season playing for Carlton by receiving the Best Young Player award and Spirit of Carlton award at Carlton's John Nicholls Medal night.[15]

2026

At the beginning of the 2026 AFL season, Lord signed a three-year contract extension to remain at Carlton until 2029.[16]

Personal life

Lord attended school at Scotch College, where he became close friends with current Carlton teammate Jagga Smith.[17] During their time at Scotch College they coached the school's Year 7a football team together.[18]

Statistics

Updated to the end of round 1, 2026.[19]

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
2024 Carlton 36 2 0 1 10 24 34 8 9 0.0 0.5 5.0 12.0 17.0 4.0 4.5 0
2025 Carlton 36 21 5 0 157 137 294 57 82 0.2 0.0 7.5 6.5 14.0 2.7 3.9 0
2026 Carlton 36 2 1 1 25 21 46 8 2 0.5 0.5 12.5 10.5 23.0 4.0 1.0 TBA
Career 25 6 2 192 182 374 73 93 0.2 0.1 7.7 7.3 15.0 2.9 3.7 0

References

  1. ^ a b "The inside scoop: Lord remains in Navy Blue". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  2. ^ Filippo, Cristian. "Why Jagga isn't surprised by best mate Cooper's progression". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  3. ^ "Cooper Lord". Rookie Me Central. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  4. ^ Alvaro, Michael. "Scouting Notes: 2023 Coates Talent League Grand Final". Rookie Me Central. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  5. ^ "VFL squad locked in for 2024". nmfc.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  6. ^ Zarucky, Rose. "Oh Lord! Cooper becomes a Blue". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  7. ^ "Lord to debut against Eagles". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Player Stats". afl.com.au. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  9. ^ "Cooper Lord named as the Round 10 Telstra AFL Rising Star". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  10. ^ Smith, Martin. "How your club used the sub in 2025, and what it might mean for 2026". afl.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  11. ^ Nice, Chris. "King reigns supreme to cap Suns' great escape over surging Blues". afl.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  12. ^ Schmook, Nathan. "Dockers survive Blues scare to stay on track for finals berth". afl.com.au. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  13. ^ Cellini, Aidan. "Much-improved Carlton youngster impresses despite season-ending injury". Zero Hanger. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  14. ^ Harper, Lachlan; Patterson, Emily. "Ollie Wines to miss Ken Hinkley and Travis Boak's farewell as tribunal appeal fails". nine.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  15. ^ "Hewett named the 2025 John Nicholls Medallist". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 6 October 2025.
  16. ^ "Praise the Lord: Cooper a Blue for three more". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
  17. ^ Geleit, Lachlan. "Best mates in navy blue: Jagga Smith and Cooper Lord ready to make an impact at Carlton". SEN. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  18. ^ Filippo, Cristian. ""We refused to believe": Best mates Lord, Smith living childhood dream". carltonfc.com.au. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  19. ^ "Cooper Lord". AFL Tables. Retrieved 17 March 2026.
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