Boy from Port Broughton reaches 150 AFL games

By PETER ARGENT

Port Broughton talent George Hewett played his landmark 150^th AFL game in the block-buster Friday night fixture between Carlton and Collingwood.

In front of a mammoth crowd of 86,785 on Friday, July 28, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Hewett’s Blues outplayed their traditional rivals, defeating the ladder-leading Magpies by 17 points.

Hewett, a North Adelaide junior product, collected a respectable 19 disposals and three clearances in his milestone match.

“It was a great night, topped off by the win,” Hewett explained to sanfl.frmdv.com  

“I had all the family across, including my three brothers Nick, Will and Cam, along with mum and dad, along with a number of mates.

“I believe we are more than capable of playing finals, and this win against this year’s competition yardstick really gives us some confidence.”

A junior with the Broughton Mundoora Eagles in the Northern Areas competition, Hewett was also a part of the 2011 North Adelaide Macca’s Cup Under 16 premiership team coached by club legend David Tiller.

His alumni in that SANFL Under 16 flag-winning side included Magarey Medalist Campbell Combe, long-serving ruckman at North Adelaide Mitch Harvey, defender Callum Wilkie, who is playing with St Kilda, and current Roosters skipper, Alex Spina.

“You could tell that George was going to be a very good player from a young age; I first played against him at Junior Colts level back at home,” Combe said.

“Back in 2009 we played against each other in a Northern Areas Junior Colts Grand Final.

“While we grabbed a win, it could be argued that he (George) was best-on-ground in a losing side.

“We played a fair bit of footy together at school and North Adelaide, along with the state Under 18 program.

“A feature of his football is he has always had so much time with ball in hand.

“He is happy to go about his business in quiet and unassuming manner.”

Hewett played First XVIII football for Prince Alfred College and was a member of the title-winning South Australian Under 18 team in 2013, before initially being drafted by the Sydney Swans with pick number 32 in the 2013 AFL Draft.

“George Hewett is doing what he did for me back in the national champs of 2013, at the Carlton Football Club now, and what he did for Sydney for six years,” SANFL talent Manager Brenton Phillips smiled.

“He gets the job done without any fuss.

“George has always been team-orientated and selfless in the way he goes about his football.

“He also has a tremendous competitive spirit, fighting from the first bounce to the last.

“Just one of those genuine country lads, who was a pleasure to coach.”

Born on December 29, and being one of the youngest players in his draft year, Hewett spent his first two seasons in the Swans NEAFL side, before debuting at AFL level in round one of the 2016 campaign.

He played in the 2016 Grand Final in his initial AFL season, and after 120 games with Sydney, Hewett exercised his right of free agency by moving to the city of Melbourne to play for the Blues.

Hewett is noted for his high workrate and being is a prolific ball-winner, demonstrating his consistency across eight years since he started in the AFL.

He is also highly-regarded for his work off the ball, earning a reputation for his tackling prowess and ability to tag a direct opponent out of the game if required.

Across his first 150 games, Hewett has averages 18.9 disposals per game, and 3.5 clearances.

He is from a talented football family.

George is the third of four Hewett brothers, with the oldest Nick now playing with Moonta, after a successful era as the playing coach of Broughton Mundoora.

Will Hewett, who was in the Northern Zone side again at this year’s SA Country Championships, is still at the Eagles and played with Central District for a season.

Youngest brothers Cameron played SANFL League football with North Adelaide, after being on Port Adelaide’s AFL list for three years, without securing a senior opportunity.