Ethan Stanley grew up at Frankston, Victoria, where he learnt to play with the local junior club Beleura.
He received an invitation to train with Hawthorn's affiliate VFL side Box Hill Hawks over the summer of 2023.
He was showcased playing in the "Young Guns" in the weeks before the mid season draft.
Stanley was the eighth player picked in the 2023 mid-season draft,[2] having made an impression playing in the Victorian Football League with the Box Hill Hawks.
[4] Moving across the country Stanley played five games in the WAFL[5] before getting selected for Fremantle against Sydney in round 19, 2023.