Nick Wilton (footballer)
Australian rules footballer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas Wilton (born 24 February 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
| Nick Wilton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Nicholas Wilton | ||
| Born | 24 February 1958 | ||
| Original team | Old Xaverians | ||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 86 kg (190 lb) | ||
| Position | Key-position | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1978–1981 | Hawthorn | 13 (7) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1981. | |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Biography
Wilton, the son of a diplomat, spent much of his teenage life living in London.[1] Although he boarded at Xavier College in Kew, inside Hawthorn's zone, as his residence was in London he was not affected by zoning.[1] As a result, both Melbourne and St Kilda tried to recruit him to their clubs, in addition to Hawthorn.[1] Wilton was playing at this time for Old Xaverians in VAFA.[2] In the end he opted for Hawthorn, as they were the more dominant side of that era.[1]
A key-position player, Wilton started at Hawthorn in the 1978 VFL season, a premiership winning year.[1] He debuted in Hawthorn's round nine win over St Kilda at Moorabbin Oval, his only senior appearance for the season.[3] In 1979 he played nine games for Hawthorn in a season that was interrupted by a knee injury, which required an operation.[4][5] Following a knee reconstruction, Wilton returned late in the 1980 season to play two games.[1][4]
During his time at Hawthorn, Wilton was also a medical student, which by 1981 was proving too difficult a combination.[1] In his fifth year, he was required as part of his studies to live in a hospital and work long shifts.[1] He had to swap shifts with other students in order to attend training.[1] In the 1981 VFL season he played just one senior game for Hawthorn.[4] He was advised by the Dean of Medicine that he would have to give up football if he wanted to continue and he made the decision to retire from the VFL.[1]
In 1983 he returned to Old Xaverians and spent five seasons at the club.[1] He finished second in the Woodrow Medal in 1984.[6]
Wilton now works as a radiologist in Melbourne.[1]