Bret Thornton
| Bret Thornton | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth | 15 November 1983 | ||
| Original team(s) | Oakleigh Chargers (TAC Cup) | ||
| Draft | No. 11, 2002 rookie draft | ||
| Height / weight | 192 cm / 94 kg | ||
| Position(s) | Defender | ||
| Playing career | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2002–2012 | Carlton | 188 (30) | |
| 2013 | Greater Western Sydney | 1 (0) | |
| Total | 189 (30) | ||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Bret Thornton (born 15 November 1983) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Carlton Football Club and Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Thornton grew up in the Melbourne suburb of Mount Waverley and attended Mount Waverley Secondary College.
As a junior, he played for the Waverley Blues Football Club, before being selected to play for the Oakleigh Chargers in the TAC Cup.
He made his debut with Carlton in Round 10, 2002, against Fremantle after being elevated from the rookie list that year.
Thornton has been an important part of the Carlton backline since his debut in 2002. The retirements of Stephen Silvagni, Michael Sexton and Ang Christou over a two-year period saw a major gap left in the Carlton defence, and the young Thornton quickly found himself forced to try to fill that hole. Over the next few years, constantly defending against top forwards with more experience, Thornton developed into an important and reliable defender for the club.
With the development of Carlton's backline through the mid-2000s, Thornton's role became more variable. He still played full-back when required, with reasonable capability against both leading and tall marking forwards, but Carlton benefitted significantly when he was able to push up the ground and direct play from centre half-back. He played every game in 2006, and played his 100th game in 2007, becoming the ninth-youngest Carlton player to achieve the milestone.
Hawthorn has been particularly keen to acquire Thonton's services. They expressed interest in trading for the out-of-contract Thornton for the 2007 season, and Thornton similarly named Hawthorn as his preferred destination for 2007. Carlton refused to agree to a trade, stating that Thornton was a required player at the club. After no trade was made, Thornton re-signed with Carlton on 14 October 2006 for a three-year deal. Hawthorn again expressed an interest in trading for Thornton for the 2008 season, but Carlton again refused.
...
Wikipedia