“I was nominated (for the draft) through a man associated with Nobel Park, Wayne Hughes, who was a recruiting manager at Carlton, so originally I thought I was only a chance at going to the Blues.”
“Before John Beveridge (recruitment manger for the Saints) came to speak to me in early October, before the draft, I purely thought it was just Carlton who was interested in me.”
Playing his first senior game for the Saints in Round 22 of 2005 against the Brisbane Lions, he immediately cemented his name in Club history after the Saints won by 139 points, the biggest margin in Club history. This game also marked Gwilt as only the second player in the AFL with Papua New Guinean heritage, the other being the Lion’s Mal Michael.
Settling into the routine of an AFL football Club was one of the hardest things Gwilt remembers about his first few years at the Saints, although he had great support from the team.
“It was a pretty big step coming from suburban football to professional football. Coping with the training load and being around a football Club was all new to me.”
Over the past few years Gwilt has developed his adaptability on the game, able to play both up forward and down in the back for the Saints.
“My main playing style is being able to play forward and back, filliping roles, but so far this year I’ve mainly been playing centre half back. I think my main role with the team at the moment is knowing that I can ensure all the bases are covered.”
Playing in his half back position saw Gwilt line-up on dual Brownlow Medalist Adam Goodes, in the Saints 8 point victory over the Swans last weekend.
“Goodes was a good challenge. I played on him in Round 2 of the NAB Cup as well, but was expecting him to step up as it was the first game of the year. He’s a great player, and runs a lot!”
It seems like 2010 is going to be a year of growth for Gwilt, as he develops into an integral part of the Saints team. Playing more than half of the matches during the home and away season last year, Gwilt is ready to capture the opportunities that now lie ahead of him;
“I just want to take this year week-by-week, making sure I go hard at every training session and do my bit for the team before, during and after every game.”
