- Bret Thornton
Infobox afl player
firstname = Bret
lastname = Thornton
| birthdate = Birth date and age|df=yes|1983|11|15
birthplace =
originalteam =Mt Waverley Blues /Oakleigh U18
heightweight = 193cm / 95kg
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = Round 10, 2 June 2002
debutteam = Carlton
debutopponent = Fremantle
debutstadium = Subiaco
playingteams = Carlton (2002-) 128 games, 2 goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = 2008
careerhighlights =
Preseason premiership player: 2005, 2007Bret "T-Bird" Thornton (born 15 November 1983) is an
Australian rules football er in theAustralian Football League .He made his debut for the
Carlton Football Club 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 retirement of
Stephen Silvagni 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, Thornton's role became more variable. He still plays full-back when required, with reasonable capability against both leading and tall marking forwards, but Carlton benefits significantly when he is 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.
The
Hawthorn Football Club 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 the 14 October 2006 for a 3 year deal. Hawthorn again expressed an interest in trading for Thornton for the 2008 season, but Carlton again refused.In Round 1, 2008 against the Richmond Tigers, Thornton accumulated a career high 28 disposals.
External links
*Carlplayer|ref=14057
*AflRleague|ref=B/Bret_Thornton.html
* [http://www.blueseum.org/cfc/tiki-index.php?page=Bret+Thornton Bret Thornton Profile in Blueseum]
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