From Red Hill Consolidated Primary School to the Carlton Football Club, Billy Wilson’s rise in the footy world is nothing short of remarkable. A Dromana and Rosebud Football Club alum, the dashing defender from Dromana joined the Dandenong Stingrays and featured in all four matches for Vic Country at the under-18 national championships in the middle of last year.
Starting as a halfback, Billy’s switch to the midfield showcased his explosive speed and precise passing. Winning the Stingrays’ best-and-fairest and making it to the Coates Talent League Team of the Year, his standout performances turned heads.
At the state draft combine, Billy’s athleticism stood out, impressing with a 2.94sec 20m sprint, a 75cm standing vertical jump and a 91cm running vertical jump. Carlton’s head of list management, Nick Austin, lauded the youngster’s elite skills, expressing excitement about his diverse capabilities. “We love how Billy conducts himself both on and off the field, so we’re delighted that we’ve been able to welcome him to our football club via the draft,” Nick said. “He’s a really damaging user of the football who has already shown at such a young age that he’s more than capable in a number of positions around the ground, whether that’s as an inside or outside midfielder as well as across halfback.”
There’s something a little magic about the Mornington Peninsula when it comes to football and Carlton, with Billy joining Mount Martha’s Jacob Weitering, Nic Newman and Tom De Koning and Pearcedale’s Matthew Cottrell at the Blues. “It’s unreal,” he told Carlton Media last month. “It’s going to be a good experience with them now, to relate back to where they came from.”
Dillon Milenkovic, a sports teacher at Red Hill Consolidated, fondly recalled Billy’s early talent, noting that he clinched the sports award in Year 6. Dillon praised Billy’s humble and grateful attitude, which has carried him through his sporting career, and congratulated him on being drafted to Carlton at No.34, fulfilling a dream for the young player and bringing pride to his schools, clubs and the community.
As Billy steps on to the AFL stage with Carlton, his journey from local fields to the big league is an inspiration for aspiring athletes across the Peninsula and beyond.
Recent Comments