Australian Football

Described in the 1881 edition of The Footballer as ‘the best all-round player in the colony’, all reports indicate that James 'Jimmy' Wilson was, along with George Coulthard of Carlton, the dominant player of the 1875-1884 decade. As physically powerful as he was naturally skilled, he was the driving force behind four Pivotonian premierships.

A former jockey who once rode in the Melbourne Cup, Wilson roved for Geelong with great talent and ebullience during that club's greatest ever era. Geelong was very much the pre-eminent team in the VFA during Wilson's career, winning half a dozen premierships in the seven years between 1878 and 1884. James' brother William, another former jockey, also played for Geelong with great distinction for several years.

Author - John Devaney and Adam Cardosi