Dylan Roberton (born 21 June 1991) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

and

St Kilda Football Club The St Kilda Football Club, nicknamed the Saints, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria. The club plays in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier league. The club's name originates fr ...

in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was selected with the 49th selection in the 2009 AFL National Draft from the

Dandenong Stingrays The Dandenong Southern Stingrays are an Australian rules football team in the NAB League, the Victorian statewide under-18s competition. 1992 saw the birth of the Southern Stingrays, developed under the leadership of Steve Kennedy (Regional ...

in the

TAC Cup The NAB League Boys (also referred to as simply the NAB League and formerly known as the TAC Cup) is an under-19 Australian rules football representative competition held in Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Vic ...

by .

Playing career

Career with Fremantle (2010–12)

Roberton started the 2010 season playing for

East Perth East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

in the WAFL and was named to make his AFL debut for Fremantle in the Round 6

Western Derby The Western Derby () is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital ...

. In 2011 he was used as Fremantle's first ever substitute player in their opening round match against the

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions is a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that plays in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was formed in late 1996 via a merger of t ...

, replacing Rhys Palmer in the third quarter.

Career with St Kilda (2013–2021)

At the end of the 2012 season, Roberton requested a trade from the Dockers to a Melbourne-based team. When a trade did not eventuate he was delisted by Fremantle and then invited to train with St Kilda. He was signed as a "delisted free agent" on 30 November 2012 by the Saints. In 2017, Roberton was named in the 40-man

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-performed players during the season, led by ...

squad as one of the best rebounding defenders in the league. Roberton also capped a brilliant season, finishing second in the Trevor Barker Award. He also extended his contract for another four years, until the end of the 2021 season. In Round 4 2018, Roberton collapsed on the field in a game against Geelong at Kardinia Park. It was determined that Roberton was suffering from a heart condition, and he was unable to retake the field. Roberton’s heart rate had soared to around 300 beats per minute which is more than 100 beats per minute beyond the max heart rate of a person of his age. Roberton ultimately did not return to football in 2018. In a pre-season game in 2019 in Ballarat, Roberton felt unwell and missed the rest of the match. He did not play the 2019 season. Roberton returned to the leadership group ahead of the 2020 season. Roberton played in the Saints' Round 1 clash against North Melbourne, his first AFL-level game since his collapse in 2018. However, Roberton did not play at AFL level again in 2020 following the resumption of the season following the Coronavirus hiatus from April to June. In early January 2021 defender Roberton announced he was taking a break from his footballing duties to consider his future in football. Roberton has been attempting to make a full return to football following a collapse as a result of a heart condition in Round 4 2018. Roberton ultimately announced his retirement from the game on 6 March, stating that "I've come to a point where I need to put my family and future first...after lengthy discussions with my family and on the advice of my doctors, I've made the extremely hard decision to hang up the boots."

Coaching

Roberton was appointed the forwards coach of the ' AFLW team in October 2021.

Personal life

In January 2013, it was revealed that a major reason for Roberton wanting to return to Victoria was to be closer to his and his partner Amy's families. The couple's first son, named Boston, was born in November 2012. Roberton's second son was born in June 2014, and a daughter was born in June 2015.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberton, Dylan 1991 births Living people Fremantle Football Club players East Perth Football Club players Australian rules footballers from Victoria (state) Dandenong Stingrays players St Kilda Football Club players Sandringham Football Club players