James Gwilt

James Gwilt (born 11 August 1986) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the St Kilda Football Club and the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

James Gwilt
Gwilt at St Kilda training in 2009
Personal information
Full name James Gwilt
Date of birth (1986-08-11) 11 August 1986
Original team(s) Noble Park (EFL)
Draft No. 63, 2004 national draft
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 94 kg (207 lb)
Position(s) Defender
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2005–2014 St Kilda 126 (25)
2015–2016 Essendon 026 0(0)
Total 152 (25)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2016.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Gwilt's mother is from Papua New Guinea[1] and his father, Jason, is of Welsh descent and immigrated with his parents and siblings from Crowle (Worcestershire) in England to Australia in the late 1950s. Jason Gwilt played Australian rules football in Port Moresby.[2]

Gwilt began his football in suburban football instead of participating in the TAC Cup, Victoria's premier under-18 competition. He played for Noble Park in the Eastern Football League and was best on ground in the league's grand final in 2004. He was also a talented junior cricketer, and played for the South Melbourne Cricket Club first XI in premier cricket during the 2003-04 season.[3]

AFL career

St Kilda made a surprising pick in the 2004 AFL National Draft by selecting Gwilt in the 4th Round, the first player selected from a suburban league for five years.[4] At debut he was only one of two AFL players (the other being Mal Michael) to have a Papua New Guinean parent.[5]

Gwilt played in the 2005 AFL finals series, impressing with two goals against Adelaide in a qualifying final win at Football Park (AAMI Stadium) in Adelaide.[6]

Gwilt spent most of 2006 playing with St Kilda's then VFL affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions. He returned with a total of eight games in 2007, with his best being a 21 possession game against Carlton at Docklands Stadium. He was nominated for the AFL's Army Award in Round 11 of that year. Gwilt struggled for opportunities early in 2008 but returned to the senior side in Round 11. He enjoyed better form after being played as a forward, including a good performance in St Kilda's 2008 semifinal win against Collingwood.

Gwilt played in 15 of 22 matches in the 2009 season home and away rounds in which St Kilda qualified in first position for the finals, winning the club’s third minor premiership.[7]

Gwilt played 26 games in 2010, including four final matches, and finished 8th in St Kilda's best & fairest award (Trevor Barker Medal). This was the year that Gwilt entrenched himself inside St Kilda's best 22, as shown by his high finish in St Kilda's best & fairest award. Prior to 2010 he was considered a fringe player.[8]

Gwilt played as a cog in St Kilda's defense until the end of 2014, where, despite a 10th-place finish in the club's best and fairest, he was delisted as part of the club's youth policy. He was then picked up by Essendon as a free agent. At the end of the 2016 season, he was informed his contract would not be renewed for 2017.[9]

Statistics
[10]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2005 St Kilda 33322256311050.70.78.32.010.33.31.7
2006 St Kilda 3320051217280.00.02.56.08.51.04.0
2007 St Kilda 33810823311544110.10.010.34.114.45.51.4
2008 St Kilda 331333846715151240.20.26.55.211.63.91.8
2009 St Kilda 331586979819555400.50.46.56.513.03.72.7
2010 St Kilda 332651336174510151400.20.012.96.719.65.81.5
2011 St Kilda 3315002018228382180.00.013.45.518.95.51.2
2012 St Kilda 3314011436320644210.00.110.24.514.73.11.5
2013 St Kilda 3313001197519454140.00.09.25.814.94.21.1
2014 St Kilda 33176219085275108350.40.111.25.016.26.42.1
2015 Essendon 4211011238020359170.00.111.27.318.55.41.5
2016 Essendon 42150018510428993230.00.012.36.919.36.21.5
Career 152 25 16 1590 879 2469 753 256 0.2 0.1 10.5 5.8 16.2 5.0 1.7

References
  1. "Lucky Jim to join the Saints", The Age, 21 November 2004.
  2. "AFL a diverse world"
  3. Peter Hanlon (28 September 2010). "'Calculated punt' pays off for Saints". The Age. Melbourne, VIC. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  4. Niall, Jake (21 November 2004). "Saints, Tigers spring surprises". The Sunday Age.
  5. Johnson, Lyall (25 February 2005). "Gwilt-edged investment". The Age.
  6. Connolly, Rohan (5 September 2005). "Gwilt edge has St Kilda set to shine". The Age.
  7. "2009 Season Scores and Results – Ladder". AFL Tables. 2009. Retrieved 8 November 2009.
  8. Blake, Martin (16 July 2011). "Just quietly, Saint Jimmy settling in". The Age.
  9. "Gwilt Axed By Bombers". Triple M. 2 September 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  10. "James Gwilt stats". AFL Tables. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
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