After polling votes in every single game he played in, winning the State League Club Champion on Friday night was an “honour” for Patrick Wilson.
Wilson debuted for the SANFL Crows in Round One after being drafted with Pick No. 17 in 2017’s Rookie Draft and was dominant from the outset.
The 23-year-old led the Crows in most areas while consistently being amongst Adelaide’s best.
Being recognised for those performances with the State League Club Champion award was humbling for Wilson.
“It’s a great honour, I’m really proud to be part of a good Club,” he said.
“It was a challenging year, but from a personal point of view, I was super stoked.”
After nine consistent performances in the SANFL, Wilson’s good form was recognised when he earned his AFL debut in Round 13 against Hawthorn.
For Wilson, it was the highlight of his year, along with the relationships he formed inside his new Club.
“The biggest positive for me was just playing my first game, that was a lifelong dream of playing AFL and I got to do that,” he said.
“And probably just building relationships with players, coaches, just enjoyed it and playing in a new team, something different.”
In the hope of cementing himself in the senior side, Wilson said he needed to have a strong off-season.
“I’d like to play more AFL footy, that’s the goal… I know it will be hard, but I think if I have a good preseason, I’m a chance,” he said.
“If I want to play AFL, I got to be able to run a lot more, get to more contests, so a big off-season goal for me is just to improve my running.”
Wilson and the rest of the 2-4 year players will return to the club for pre-season on November 5.