Garry J. "Flea" Wilson (born 17 July 1953) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for

Fitzroy Fitzroy or FitzRoy may refer to: People As a given name *Several members of the Somerset family (Dukes of Beaufort) have this as a middle-name: **FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan (1788–1855) ** Henry Charles FitzRoy Somerset, 8th Duke of Beau ...

in the

Victorian Football League The Victorian Football League (VFL) is an Australian rules football league in Australia serving as one of the second-tier regional semi-professional competitions which sit underneath the fully professional Australian Football League (AFL). It ...

(VFL).

Background

Wilson, during his playing days, was described by ''The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers'' as having "limitless courage" as a wispy rover, with a playing weight of only 64 kg. He played wearing a headguard after several

concussions A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

. Many considered him one of the most technically gifted players ever to play the game, and he was renowned for his hard training ethic.Full Points Footy (2008)
''Garry Wilson (Fitzroy)''
. Retrieved on 5 May 2008. Debuting in 1971 with the

Fitzroy Football Club The Fitzroy Football Club is an Australian rules football club currently competing in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). Formed in 1883 to represent the inner-Melbourne municipality of Fitzroy, the club was a member of the V ...

, Wilson came from Preston Swimmers and forged a successful career, winning best and fairest awards with the Lions in 1972, 1976, 1978, 1979 and 1980. He finished third in the

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as "Charlie"), is awarded to the "best and fairest" player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by t ...

count of 1978. Always amongst the Brownlow votes, his best season was 1979, when he finished just one vote behind the eventual winner, when all the Melbourne newspapers had him far out in front of their own polls. Wilson became captain in 1982. He finished with 268 games to his name after retiring in 1984. Some of Garry Wilson's finest performances came in the interstate arena. He represented Victoria 12 times, being awarded consecutive

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led b ...

blazers in 1979 and 1980. Wilson was named as the vice-captain in Fitzroy's Team of the Century, on the half-forward line. In 1999 Wilson was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

References

External links

* *
AFL Hall of Fame - Players
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Garry 1953 births All-Australians (1953–1988) Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Mitchell Medal winners Fitzroy Football Club players Living people Victorian State of Origin players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (Australia)