JAI Culley is embracing the next step in his recovery, completing his first run since suffering an ACL injury in April.

The 23-year-old made an encouraging start to the 2026 season, playing the opening rounds of the season and building confidence in his ability to perform consistently at AFL level.

“It’s been a big 12 months,” Culley said.

“The start of the year, I was pretty happy with how I was going. I played the first seven games and was feeling pretty confident each week.

“I found a bit of consistency early in the year and felt pretty confident in what I was able to produce.”

While the injury brought his campaign to an early end, Culley said the form he found before it had sharpened his drive for a strong return in 2027.

“It’s filled me with a lot of confidence that I know I can play at the level, and at a pretty good standard,” he said.

“It’s fuelled me for this off-season to have a really strong off-season and pre-season, get a bit of momentum and come into next year feeling really good and confident in what I can produce.”

Fresh from his first run since the injury, Culley said getting back out on the track had been an important moment mentally.

“It felt great,” he said.

“I haven’t run for probably four months, so just feeling like a normal human again, being able to run, mentally feels really good.

“It was only very slow at the start, but I’m looking forward to progressing that and getting fit again.”

Culley credited his family and fiancée for their support throughout the tougher moments of the year, saying they remain central to his football journey.

“They’ve been there from the start, through all the highs and all the lows,” he said.

“They mean so much to me and are probably the backbone of why I play footy, really.”

Looking ahead, Culley’s focuses lie around building his body, developing his game and putting himself in a position to contribute across a full season.

“I really want to grow my game,” he said.

“I know I can play some good footy, but for me it’s about consistency and getting my body right so I can play not only the front half, but the back half of the year.

“It was tough watching the boys out there on Wildcard night in front of 95,000. That’s something I want to be a part of, and that’s probably my main goal coming into next year.”