Horsham-bred Matt Wilson was a rover/small forward who arrived at Blues Under-19s via Monivae College in 1981. Matt was a courageous player who by his own admission might have lacked a touch of pace, but good reading of the play saw him win large possession numbers, and he went on to be a Twos stalwart of the 1980s, who was rewarded with senior selection in 1984 against Old Scotch. A resident of University College, Matt was an integral part of Pavvy life in the 80s and was an inaugural member of the legendary drinking club, the Blues Centurions

 The finest player that Matt saw in his time at Uni Oval (1981-1988) was Michael Yeo.  He says that watching him “in full flight was sensational”. He also makes mention of “Nails” Tyquin, a “fantastic leader who provided plenty of on field highlights as well.”

One of the initiatives introduced during Matt’s stint at Blues was the “Centurians Club”: “$100 for all you could drink for all home games on the preceding Thursday after training and after the game at the Pavvy.”  According to Matt, the first year of its introduction was eventful.  “Getting home from training at midnight wasn’t that unusual. Stricter rules were implemented from year 2 which were more conducive to healthier on-field performances and club finances.”

Matt’s nominates his rather unusual sole appearance in the senior team as the highlight of his career:

“I captained the Twos one year and was also runner-up B&F one year, though back in those days Blues Twos weren’t much chop. I got a late call up for my one and only senior appearance one day against Scotch but watched all four quarters from the interchange bench, despite Blues surrendering a 4 goal third quarter lead and looking in need of some fresh legs. Syd Myers (the legendary coach of the time) had the good grace to announce I was the only player blameless for the defeat after the game, but I wasn’t spared at selection the following Thursday and spent the rest of my career where I belonged.”

Matt can now be found dwelling some distance south of the Ormond College Clock Tower: “I’ve lived in Launceston since 1989 and am married with three kids. I hold an Executive role with a Tasmanian based Building Society.  I played another half dozen years of footy with Old Scotch in the Northern Tasmanian Football Association when I moved to Tassie including a flag in my last year. That probably stands out as my football career highlight, but I still look up all Blues results each week and try to get over for at least one game each year.”