Callum Wilkie is a St Kilda co-captain, a two-time All-Australian and a two-time club best and fairest winner. He is also the answer to one of the AFL’s great what-ifs, a defender who was overlooked at four national drafts and worked full-time as an accountant before finally getting his shot and becoming one of the competition’s best defenders.
The South Australian spent four years grinding it out in the SANFL with North Adelaide, winning a premiership and a best and fairest, before St Kilda finally called his name with pick 3 in the 2018 rookie draft. The call came on a Friday afternoon. Callum handed in his notice, packed up his desk the next day and was in Melbourne by Sunday.
He has not missed a game since.
Wilkie debuted in round one of the 2019 season against Gold Coast and built his reputation quickly, taking on some of the competition’s most dangerous forwards and holding his own from day one. What followed has become the defining trait of his career: every possible senior game since that debut, a streak that reached 176 matches as he broke St Kilda’s all-time consecutive games record during the 2024 season – an extraordinary run of durability for a player who gives up size to almost every opponent.
At 191cm Wilkie is undersized for the role he plays, regularly matched up on the AFL’s most dangerous tall forwards, yet making a habit of nullifying them. That combination of consistency and class saw him named an All-Australian in 2023 and 2026, win the Trevor Barker Award in 2024 and 2026 (plus three runner-up finishes in the same award), and pick up the AFLCA Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Ian Stewart Medal. He has been a fixture in St Kilda’s leadership group since 2021, vice-captain from 2023 to 2025, and elevated to the co-captaincy in 2026.
Away from football, Callum is an all-rounder with a curious, entrepreneurial streak. Trained in accounting before he was drafted, he has steadily built a portfolio of business interests alongside his AFL career including a car wash in regional Victoria.
He also works in business development for a Sydney-based insurer. His philosophy is simple: try new things while you can, and stay busy.
Travel is his one of greatest passion. Recent trips include Europe and visiting family in England, and he regularly travels to Noosa, northern NSW and SA.
Callum is a keen golfer, with a handicap of 17, hoping he can get it back down to 9. He’s into fitness, nutrition and wellness, especially when it comes to recharging in the sauna, and he is the devoted owner of two kelpies, Bobby and Willow. At home, he and his fiancée Izzy are finding their way around the kitchen by recreating their favourite restaurant dishes, and the pair are regulars at wineries on the Mornington Peninsula.
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