The tallest AFL player ever stands at 211cm (6' 11"), a title shared by four players: Ned Reeves, Mason Cox, Aaron Sandilands and Peter Street. While successful AFL players can come in all shapes and sizes, certain physical attributes, such as height, can play an important part in game performance. For example, taller players with a good leap and positional skills, will win the ruck more often. Around the field, height is an advantage in overhead marking contests, and for reaching in for the ball, though tall players will find it harder to access ground balls.

There are a few players at 211cm tall who share the title of the tallest to play footy, with Ned Reeves and Mason Cox two that are currently playing (2026).

Tall players are generally ruckmen. Comparing playing positions of AFL players from 2012-2018, ruckmen were the tallest (average 201.4cm), followed by the defenders, then forwards and the shortest were the midfielders (average 184.4cm).

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List of the Tallest AFL Players Ever

Rank Ht (cm) Ht (feet/inch) Player Team Years
1 211 6' 11" Ned Reeves Hawthorn 2019–
  211 6' 11" Mason Cox Collingwood 2015–
  211 6' 11" Aaron Sandilands Fremantle 2003–2019
  211 6' 11" Peter Street  Geelong/Western Bulldogs 2001-2008
5 210 6' 10.5" Matthew 'Spider' Burton Fremantle, West Coast, Kangaroos 1990-2003
6 209 6' 10" Lachlan McAndrew Sydney 2023
  209 6' 10" Jarrod Witts Collingwood, Gold Coast 2012-2021
  209 6' 10" Dawson Simpson Geelong, Greater Western 2010-2019
  209 6' 10" Max Gawn Melbourne 2011+
10 208 6' 10" Tim English Bulldogs 2017+
11 207 6' 9.5" Rory Lobb Greater Western, Fremantle, Bulldogs 2014+

Listed AFL players (yet to play a senior game)

Rank Ht (cm) Ht (feet/inch) Player Team Years
1 211 6' 11" Mate Colina Richmond  
2 210 6' 10.5" Angus Milham Essendon  
  210 6' 10.5" Alex Mirkov Carlton  

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the tallest AFL player ever?

At 211cm (6' 11"), four players share the record for tallest AFL player ever: Ned Reeves, Mason Cox, Aaron Sandilands and Peter Street.

Who is the tallest AFL player currently playing?

Ned Reeves (Hawthorn) and Mason Cox (Collingwood) are both 211cm and are the tallest players active as of 2026.

What position are the tallest AFL players?

Tall players are generally ruckmen. From 2012-2018, ruckmen were the tallest playing position, averaging 201.4cm.

Data Source: the height data was originally taken from the player's profile on Wikipedia when listed, otherwise from other sources online and added to over time.

Author: Written by Rob Wood, with extra research by Casper Wood

Last updated: 2026