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Changkuoth Jiath’s 50th game will forever be a footnote in the story of #Dusty300 — and there’s no complaints there. Dustin Martin is one of the best to ever do it. Sadly for us he’s done it far too frequently against Hawthorn — his goal from an “impossible position” in the 2018 qualifying final still haunts my dreams.
While I’ve still loved watching Dusty tear it up against other teams over the journey, particularly Geelong, today I’ll be celebrating the man most of us call CJ … because — well, Australia.
If you’re reading this on HI, I probably don’t have to tell you CJ is one of footy’s most remarkable stories. His debut in 2019 already sounds like a future trivia question — the kind that would have most clambering to phone a friend, but for Hawks fans it’s quickly become folklore.
CJ, of course, made his debut in the infamous snow game at Manuka against GWS, which is pretty ironic considering his upbringing in an Ethiopian refugee camp. I love the way Clarko tells this story in his stream of consciousness 2019 PCM speech.
“There has never been a game of AFL footy played in snow, and the Hawks have got the chance to play in it. You f**king, beauty! In addition to that, we have named a debutante player. He's a refugee from Sudan, who's come via Ethiopia. For those ain't great at geographics. Is that right? Geographics? Geography. That is desert country. He plays his first game in the snow. Wow. What an unbelievable story for his family. What an unbelievable story, for our club. He plays his debut. This is the only game in AFL history that's ever been played in snow. We play it and we belt the Giants on their home deck.”
In another twist of fate, CJ is playing his 50th game on the same weekend as his younger brother Tew, an ex Hawks Next Gen Academy player, who Collingwood snatched from us in the 2023 draft. That’s something I will never get over, to be fair.
Whereas Tew’s debut comes less than a year after being drafted, Changkuoth’s path to that snow game debut was a little bit less linear.
A Category B rookie, it took him almost three seasons to earn that debut. Playing mostly as a half-back flanker in those early days at Box Hill, he was the very definition of raw. Clearly athletically gifted, but – as HI’s own Danny Prins will tell you – one of the worst field kicks you’ll ever see. But there was some intangible magic about CJ that had tongues wagging on Big Footy forums circa 2019.
“If this kid puts on some size and power we'll have a seriously great player. Has everything else at this stage but the ability to break a tackle and be free to go with his instincts. Being able to break tackles will be key to his ceiling, if he does then wow!”
Yes, I trawled through Big Footy to find that.
CJ played in an important role in the 2018 Box Hill Premiership, among a cadre of current teammates including Nash, James Worpel, Mitch Lewis, and Dylan Moore.
His 2019 season at Box Hill is when it all started to click. He was still a work in progress, but Clarko’s preference for ageing superstars, moneyball free agents, and, um, Conor Glass saw his debut delayed until the end of the season. He only managed five games in the COVID ravaged 2020 season.
The 2021 season was CJ’s breakout year. I’ll never forget his dash through the middle in our Easter Monday loss to the Cats — you could just sense the excitement rise through the crowd whenever he touched it.
CJ credits Sam Mitchell — who was then Box Hill Senior Coach — for turning his career around.
“We were just sitting in the office and halfway through the conversation he just goes ‘CJ, why are you not playing AFL footy?' You’ve got the speed, you've got the athleticism, how come you're not playing every week? I thought 'that’s a great question – why aren’t I?' So then I went away and that’s pretty much how it started.”
Persistent and complex injuries — from knees to groins, calves to hammies — have since robbed us of the pure, unadulterated joy of watching CJ in full flight. At the conclusion of the 2023 season, we were all wondering if there was even a spot for him in the side, until his great mate Will Day reminded us of his rare gifts when he spoke to HI in September.
“We had to do our best 23 going into the exit interview as well for next year, and he slotted straight into my half-back flank. He's gone through a bit of a rough patch this year - I think his body just can't really handle his explosiveness and just the raw athleticism that he has at this stage.”
Of course, the pre-season didn’t go as planned, but CJ has finally managed to bring up his half tonne after seven seasons of pure determination, spirit and grit. For context, Connor Macdonald, a player drafted in 2021, brought up 50 games a few weeks back.
Let’s get #CJ50 trending
Instead of bemoaning the games lost on the treatment table or at selection, let’s all properly celebrate #CJ50 and hope those issues are well behind him for the rest of his career. Not only does CJ and his family deserve it considering where they came from, but we deserve it as a fanbase for sticking fat with him through all the trials and tribulations.
And we’ve stuck with him out of nothing but pure love. Pure love for his story, his swagger, his resilience, his DJ skills, his TikToks, but also his freakish athletic traits.
Before Weddle and Macdonald, Wizard Watson, Chol and Will Day, there was Changkuoth Jiath – another South Sudanese AFL success story – who bought swagger and fun and proper entertainment to an “irrelevant” Hawthorn team that showed up every week to play negative footy and maybe pinch a win.
There’s nothing Hawthorn fans appreciate more than a player giving it a crack. And while he’s still not the finished article, no one has ever doubted CJ’s talent, his commitment to the contest, or his gut running through the middle of the G when the team needs a line breaking burst of pace.
Off the field, he’s a wonderful role model and person. Effortlessly cool and generous with his time, it’s no surprise he’s a fan favourite, especially with young kids who needed a hero in the dark days towards the end of Clarko’s reign. Don’t believe me — have a look around tonight at all the #9 jumpers. They’re not all wearing those in tribute of Crawf, Burgers or the Big Dipper, by the way.
So, sorry Dusty. Three-hundred games, a Brownlow and three Norms is some achievement – but tonight I’ll be celebrating the one and only CJ.
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I came for the CJ article and I stayed for the DL selfie 🙌🏻
Excellent article 👏🏼🤎💛