OF the 55 Carlton players so far used through Brendon Bolton’s 55-game watch as senior coach, only two can lay claim to being there for all 55.

One is the indefatigable Kade Simpson. The other is the dependable Matthew Wright - and on the eve of the latter’s 150th AFL appearance, it’s worth revisiting the story so far.

Secured by Adelaide from North Adelaide with selection No.33 in the 2009 rookie draft, Wright repaid the faith, so much so that he was elevated to the senior list in late 2011 and for the next four years was among the first to have his name pencilled onto the Crows’ weekly teamsheet.

When in 2015 Adelaide saw fit to delist the 94-gamer, Carlton saw Wright as the right fit. List manager Stephen Silvagni, in making the call to give the player a lifeline, prophetically said of Wright at the time: “Matthew is an inside midfielder-forward with clean hands. He’s a good set shot and quick around the packs. Importantly, he’s also a quality person who will bring experience and leadership to our team”.


Matthew Wright is a much-admired clubman at the Blues. (Photo: AFL Media)

On Saturday, the no-nonsense No.46 chests the banner for game No.56 for the Blues and game No.150 in totality. At 28, the best is still to come for a much-admired clubman, who’s truly repaying the faith.

In Bolton, Wright has an ardent admirer. Speaking at a press conference on the eve of the Fremantle match, the senior coach said of his player: “I take my hat off to Wrighty for the way he's come along and invested in our club. He invests in our kids and he's so giving - you see that on the field, but he does simple things like going to The Lost Dogs' Home in his own time and invests in the community. That's the character we're talking about in Wrighty."