The man known as Port Adelaide’s ‘heart and soul’, announced his retirement from football at 9am this morning at Alberton Oval.
Wilson, who has had nine operations in the past eight years including two knee reconstructions, two shoulder reconstructions and the repair of a snapped achilles tendon, hangs up the boots after 192 AFL games across the club’s 12 seasons in the AFL.
Wilson, 31, retires on the advice of his much-loved Port Adelaide medical staff who had to finally tell him enough was enough.
His right knee has a growing hole in the bone and a split in the already heavily reduced meniscus (knee cushioning). A delicate operation to attempt to get him back on the field would have meant many more months on the sidelines.
“When the medical staff say you shouldn’t go on, then I think it’s probably time to listen,” Wilson told PortAdelaideFC.com.au
“Even when I snapped my achilles I said ‘can I play again or am I finished’ and they said ‘oh nah, six-to-nine months, we’ll get you back’. So that was the light at the end of the tunnel but I think someone’s gone and blown the candle out this time.
“(Club doctor Peter Barnes) is saying the knee won’t last a pre-season anyway and you wouldn’t make it through games. I’d have to sit out three or four months of footy (after the operation). When you look at that, it’s really just ridiculous even thinking about playing on.”
An emotional Wilson could see the end was drawing near from earlier in the season but refused to give up, pushing himself through the injury barrier again and again.
“I was that motivated to get back after the achilles. I managed to get through a few games which was not too bad and played a few games of SANFL which was tough," he said.
“But gradually my knee was getting sorer and one training I had a squelch and a crack and a pop sort of feeling in it. I had a scan and Barnesy said ‘well if you can keep playing with your leg looking like that, you may as well keep going while you can’ but probably from that moment onwards it’s really gone downhill.
“I’m 31, nearly 32, so it’s no big secret that footy doesn’t go on forever. It’s only footy but when it’s what you’ve done for 15 years, (the end) is pretty hard to come to terms with. You always plan for it and you always think about it but it’s still a bit of a shock when it happens.”
Wilson’s AFL career began in 1997, when he was selected for the club’s inaugural AFL list. The lifelong Port Adelaide supporter and local resident had been part of the club’s 1995 and 1996 SANFL premierships and was an automatic selection for the first squad.
He took to the AFL as well as anyone could have imagined, winning the AFL’s highly acclaimed Rising Star award in 1997, and finishing third in the club’s best-and-fairest. He only missed two games in the club’s first four-and-a-half years in the competition until Round 10, 2001, when, just two games shy of becoming the first player to reach 100 games for Port Adelaide in the AFL, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament.
He needed a second knee reconstruction the following pre-season, putting him out of the entire 2002 season. His comeback season in 2003 included three hamstring injuries.
Season 2004 was his crowning achievement. He played with two badly injured shoulders that continually dislocated themselves. It often meant he couldn’t lift his arms to even tackle, so would simply run at opposition players and cannon into them like a battering ram.
That Michael Wilson finished third in the best-and-fairest that year, won the best team man award, the coach’s award, the players’ choice award, and cried his eyes out after being part of the club’s first AFL premiership, then promptly cut short any celebration to have two shoulder reconstructions at the same time so he could be ready for the 2005 season, is one of the club’s greatest stories.
It was a very proud Mark Williams who paid tribute to one of his all-time favourites.
“Only once in my ten years of coaching have I handed out a coach’s award. I gave it to Michael at the end of the 2004 season. To see the hurt and the hardship that he endured that year for the team was just remarkable,” Williams said.
“He’s had more injuries than anyone should ever have in football but he never stopped, he never complained, he just kept going on and believing in himself.
“All our lasting memories will be how tough, how hard, and how exciting it was to have a guy like him throwing himself backwards into packs and taking courageous marks. He’d smother balls that were metres away from where he was with a full length dive and using his whole body to smother, not just his hands.
“The intimate closeness of the playing group remembers with great fondness the great chase from behind of Eddie Sansbury against North Melbourne at the river end of AAMI Stadium. He dived full length to tackle from behind in the goalsquare to stop Sansbury scoring a goal that was really important at that time.
“It’s a great delight for me that he wore No. 21 which is a number that I wore at Port Adelaide and I am thrilled to think he has played so well in that number.
“Nothing was too much for Michael, he always put the club first, he was a fantastic leader for us, a wonderful vice captain and he’ll be sorely missed around the group.
“We hope we can give him some role to keep him close to the playing group and close to the coaches and especially close to the members and supporters who have loved him forever.”
Wilson looks back on his career thinking how lucky he has been.
“I’m pretty happy. Even the ‘95 and ‘96 Maggies premierships and the Rising Star and even being in the first Port AFL squad (means a lot),” Wilson said.
“We had a pre-season premiership and of course the ‘04 premiership. Everyone thinks it was the best thing in the world but for everyone who played in it, it was more of a relief than a celebration.
“Everything timed in well for me. I grew up in North Haven and played for the Maggies U6 team and everything followed through. I managed to squeeze in with some of the best Magpies teams going around.
“It was all meant to be, it was all pretty easy really. I got drafted and played in 1997 which was the year after I finished my uni degree, and didn’t have to move interstate. Things just worked out.
“To play in the first AFL Port Adelaide side, and growing up in Port Adelaide, it’s a pretty special thing. All the family followed Port Adelaide too.”
Wilson now intends to become a physiotherapist, which he has been studying part-time for many years. And he does see the irony in it.
“When you think ‘how am I going to get through this (operation)’, the medical staff always shows you the light ahead and gets you back playing,” Wilson said.
“You’re so appreciative of the effort they go to and I know it’s their job and all of that stuff but when you do spend much time with them….
“I suppose it has given me a job though. I’ve got Barnesy and Patrick (Custance) and Mike (Heynen) and Mark Fisher to point me in the direction and show me the way to go. With every cloud there’s a sliver lining I suppose. With ten operations I’m probably the most prepared physio coming out to work!”
Wilson said while it might not be immediately obvious to those beyond Alberton, he had utmost faith in the club’s future.
“It would have been nice to finish off in a winning side and have the fairytale ending but I don’t know anyone who finishes that way – Damien Hardwick in 2004 was probably it,” he said.
“One of the disappointing things (of retiring) is you’ve got Nick Lower, Surj, Matt Thomas, Travis Boak, Justin Westhoff, Robbie Gray. We’ve got all these young blokes and there’s a lot of talent there. You know they’re going to come good, you know it’s there.
“I can imagine next year with Choco still leading the charge and a few of those old heads off getting operated on and ready for next year, it’s going to be a big year. A lot of mental strength coming out of a strong hard pre-season will improve us and we’ll see that next year.”
Michael’s wife Leah, eldest son Noah, daughter Lucy and twin sons Tom and Charlie were among a large gathering at Wilson’s farewell media conference. The contingent included all current Power players, Board members, staff, support staff, medicos, and past players like Gavin Wanganeen, Darren Mead, Jared Poulton and Darryl Wakelin. Wilson sat alongside coach Mark Williams with Wilson’s No. 21 guernsey, the number they both wore at Port Adelaide, hanging from the table in front of them.
Wilbur will say farewell to the Port Adelaide supporters with a lap of honour around AAMI Stadium about 30 minutes before the Power’s clash with Collingwood next Friday night.
The club is also encouraging supporters to leave a message for Wilbur, through PortAdelaideFC.com.au.
Check back later today to watch Wilbur’s full retirement media conference, thanks to PTV, the club’s video channel.
