Kobe Wilson, grandson of Central District great Wilbur Wilson, named in Port Aboriginal Academy
A grandson of a Central District great is set to be spending a lot of time at Alberton Oval this year after being named in Port Adelaide’s Aboriginal Academy.
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His grandfather is a Central District great – but Kobe Wilson will be entrenched in ‘enemy territory’ this year.
Kobe, who is the grandson of former Bulldogs star Wilbur Wilson, has been named in Port Adelaide’s 2020 Aboriginal Academy squad.
The 16-year-old forward/wingman is also a member of Central’s under-18 team.
But he will be spending a fair bit of time at Alberton Oval as part of his involvement in the academy.
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Kobe, of Craigmore, says he is honoured to be involved with the academy and is enjoying learning from coaches at Central and at Port Adelaide.
“I’m pretty proud,” the Craigmore High Year 11 says.
“My family has been involved in footy heavily so I thought I might carry it on.
“It’s exciting to be part of both clubs (Port and Central).”
Kobe remembers spending countless hours as a youngster with Wilbur kicking the football around in the backyard.
Although Kobe never got to watch his grandfather play, he has seen plenty of footage and dubs Wilbur as a “pretty amazing” player.
The academy, established in 2014, allows a squad of 36 players to attend weekly education and training days at Alberton during the school year.
Port staff, coaches and players mentor the players, who participate in a range of high-performance activities.
They also complete a Certificate III and IV in a variety of disciplines, including fitness and Aboriginal studies.
Wilbur, a skilful left-footer, lined up in 171 games between 1974 and 1986 for the Bulldogs and kicked 331 goals.
He spends most of his time watching Kobe feature with Central’s juniors and only makes it to a handful of senior games each year.
He says Port’s Aboriginal academy is a great program because it encourages youngsters to get a good education and develop their football skills.
“The advice I can give him (Kobe) is to keep going to school,” Wilbur says.
“Obviously he has a passion for footy.
“With guidance and coaching, hopefully he gets the best out of himself and develops into what he wants to be.
“It would be awesome for him to play with Central’s seniors and keep the name going there but it would also be great for him to be picked by Port.
“I know he’s got a bit of an aspiration to play footy at the highest level so that would be really good.”