Jai Serong (born 16 February 2003) is a professional Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is the younger brother of Caleb Serong, who plays for .
Early life Serong grew up on a dairy farm near the Victorian country town of Inverloch before his family moved to Warragul.
He was drafted with the 53rd selection in the 2021 AFL draft from Gippsland Power in the NAB League.
AFL career
Hawthorn (2022–2025) Serong made his debut in round 21 of the 2022 season when Hawthorn played in Launceston. He played in the final three rounds of the season.
His 2023 season was delayed because of injury. He suffered pericarditis.
Serong never saw consistent game time at Hawthorn, playing five AFL games in 2024 and none in 2025. Unable to play regular AFL football, he was a valued player for Hawthorn's VFL-affiliated side, the Box Hill Hawks. Playing 62 games at VFL level over four years, Serong won Box Hill's Best and Fairest, the Col Austen Trophy, in both 2024 and 2025. However, in hopes of playing consistent AFL football, Serong opted to leave Hawthorn at the end of the 2025 season, nominating Sydney as his preferred club.
Sydney Swans (2026–)
On the final day of the 2025 trade period, Jai Serong was traded to the Sydney Swans along with a fourth round pick in exchange for a third round draft selection.
Serong made his Sydney in round one of the 2026 AFL season at the SCG against Carlton, racking up nineteen disposals in a win. From there, Serong managed to find the consistent AFL football he was seeking, playing 24 times in his first year with the Swans. Sydney's season ended with a preliminary final loss against Fremantle, the club of Jai's brother Caleb.
Statistics Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.
| 2022 || || 29 | 3 || 1 || 0 || 7 || 6 || 13 || 5 || 5 || 0.3 || 0.0 || 2.3 || 2.0 || 4.3 || 1.7 || 1.7 || 0 |- | 2023 || || 29 | 2 || 0 || 0 || 15 || 6 || 21 || 8 || 3 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 7.5 || 3.0 || 10.5 || 4.0 || 1.5 || 0 |- | 2024 || || 29 | 5 || 0 || 0 || 19 || 23 || 42 || 11 || 13 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 3.8 || 4.6 || 8.4 || 2.2 || 2.6 || 0 |- | 2025 || || 29 | 0 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || 0 |- | 2026 || || 13 | 20 || 6 || 2 || 190 || 168 || 358 || 98 || 55 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 9.5 || 8.4 || 17.9 || 4.9 || 2.8 || 0 |- class=sortbottom ! colspan=3 | Career ! 30 !! 7 !! 2 !! 231 !! 203 !! 434 !! 122 !! 76 !! 0.2 !! 0.1 !! 7.7 !! 6.8 !! 14.5 !! 4.1 !! 2.5 !! 0
Honours and achievements Team McClelland Trophy (): 2024
Individual VFL Team of the Year: 2025 2× Col Austen trophy: 2024, 2025
References
External links