AustralianFootball.com Celebrating the history of the great Australian game
Full name
Brian Wilson
Known as
Brian Wilson
Born
30 September 1961 (age 63)
Age at first & last AFL game
First game: 16y 211d
Last game: 29y 273d
Height and weight
Height: 180 cm
Weight: 82 kg
Senior clubs
Footscray; North Melbourne; Melbourne; St. Kilda
Jumper numbers
Footscray: 40
North Melbourne: 28
Melbourne: 7
St. Kilda: 17
Recruited from
Footscray (1980); North Melbourne (1982); Melbourne (1991)
Club | League | Career span | Games | Goals | Avg | Win % | AKI | AHB | AMK | BV |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Footscray | V/AFL | 1978-1979 | 9 | 5 | 0.56 | 22% | 6.11 | 3.78 | 1.78 | 0 |
North Melbourne | V/AFL | 1980-1981 | 39 | 17 | 0.44 | 54% | 12.77 | 7.62 | 3.13 | 4 |
Melbourne | V/AFL | 1982-1990 | 154 | 208 | 1.35 | 48% | 12.04 | 8.57 | 4.86 | 52 |
St. Kilda | AFL | 1991 | 7 | 16 | 2.29 | 29% | 6.57 | 4.00 | 3.29 | 0 |
V/AFL | 1978-1991 | 209 | 246 | 1.18 | 47% | 11.74 | 8.03 | 4.35 | 56 | |
Total | 1978-1991 | 209 | 246 | 1.18 | 47% | 11.74 | 8.03 | 4.35 | 56 |
AFL: 8,996th player to appear, 585th most games played, 292nd most goals kickedFootscray: 669th player to appear, 693rd most games played, 501st most goals kickedNorth Melbourne: 714th player to appear, 342nd most games played, 286th most goals kickedMelbourne: 1,036th player to appear, 57th most games played, 24th most goals kickedSt. Kilda: 1,375th player to appear, 997th most games played, 355th most goals kicked
After failing to impress in nine games over two seasons at Footscray Brian Wilson crossed to North Melbourne in 1980 and suddenly hit his straps. He played 39 games in two years with the 'Roos, but then was surprisingly offloaded to Melbourne, where, playing in the centre, he promptly produced the best football of his career to win the Brownlow Medal.
Thereafter, Wilson never quite managed to recapture the same level of performance on a consistent basis, but he remained a serviceable footballer for the Demons in 154 VFL games over nine seasons. Later in his career he played a good deal of football as a specialist forward pocket, and his tally of 208 goals affords evidence that he was a success in the role. Wilson's last port of call was St Kilda where he played seven games and kicked 16 goals in 1991.
Author - John Devaney