Carlton Reserve Career: 1941
Reserve Games: TBA
Reserve Goals: TBA
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Guernsey No. 36 (1941)
DOB:
Ernie Pilkington played reserve grade football for Carlton in 1941.
He didn't manage to play a senior game for Carlton.
Ernie Pilkington played football for Tasmania, Newton and Sandy Bay representative, and later coached Tunnack. Pilkington was described as a dashing midfielder who had a "delightful" stab pass. Pilkington played football pre and post Second World War and was probably regarded as the best stab pass in Tasmania.
Three weeks after joining Newtown, Pilkington, then only 17, was selected, to rep-resent the South against the North, and thereafter was a regular Southern winger. When stationed at Flinders Naval Base early in the war. Pilkington played with Carlton. He served in the Navy from 1939 to 1945, and is a survivor of H.M.A.S. Vampire. He later served on HMAS Bowen." When district football was inaugurated, Pilkington played with Sandy Bay. The following year Sandy Bay won the State premiership and Pilkington won the William Leitch Medal. He represented Tasmania in the 1947 carnival and against the V.P.A. in 1951.
Pilkington was vice-captain of Sandy Bay in 1947. He played 99 games with Sandy Bay and was captain and coach in 1948 and 1949. He captained the South in 1950. He went to Tunnack and led it to the 1952 premiership. He also led the combined Midlands-Tasmania team which defeated a Tasmanian team by a point. Pilkington badly broke his ankle in 1953 and retired as a player, after he recovered from his injury, he devoted more of his energy to his second love-golf.
SURVIVING THE SINKING - ERNIE'S INCREDIBLE STORY
Carlton historian Tony De Bolfo wrote this article about Ernie Pilkington.http://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/2015-04-09/surviving-the-sinking-ernies-incredible-story