Billy Wells
St Kilda and North Melbourne · “Bomber”
AFL career
36 games6 goals
- Debut
- R5 1939 v RCH20 May 1939
- Most recent
- R20 1945 v GEE1 Sept 1945
Stats
Bio
Recruited from East Coburg, Billy Wells was a promising forward who burst onto the scene at North Melbourne in 1939 after dominating the reserves. His burgeoning VFL career was abruptly halted by World War II, where he served in the Middle East and suffered a severe spinal injury that led doctors to predict he would never walk again. Wells defied this prognosis, breaking out of his plaster cast in hospital to regain mobility and eventually returning to competitive football in 1944. His return to the top level was complicated; after initially coaching East Brunswick, he attempted a move to Essendon that was blocked by North Melbourne, eventually resulting in a mid-season clearance to St Kilda instead. A versatile utility who could play forward or on a flank, Wells spent two seasons at the Junction Oval before carving out a significant post-VFL legacy, including a premiership with Williamstown and multiple leading goalkicker awards in country leagues.
Profile
- Full name
- Billy G. Wells
- Born
- 08 Nov 1920
- Died
- 16 Mar 2013 (aged 92y 128d)
- Birthplace
- Brunswick, VIC
- Height
- 175 cm
- Weight
- 76 kg
Teams
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from East Coburg, Billy Wells was a promising forward who burst onto the scene at North Melbourne in 1939 after dominating the reserves. His burgeoning VFL career was abruptly halted by World War II, where he served in the Middle East and suffered a severe spinal injury that led doctors to predict he would never walk again. Wells defied this prognosis, breaking out of his plaster cast in hospital to regain mobility and eventually returning to competitive football in 1944. His return to the top level was complicated; after initially coaching East Brunswick, he attempted a move to Essendon that was blocked by North Melbourne, eventually resulting in a mid-season clearance to St Kilda instead. A versatile utility who could play forward or on a flank, Wells spent two seasons at the Junction Oval before carving out a significant post-VFL legacy, including a premiership with Williamstown and multiple leading goalkicker awards in country leagues.