Barry and Wayne were great. Whatever I needed to do, they were there doing it all with me. Nelson returned to the fray in early April before quickly winning promotion from the reserves. He has since played the past 13 matches to emerge as one of the finds of the season at Carlton. People are often judged by the company they keep.
Footballers are no different.
Blues coach David Parkin has not hesitated in assigning the solidly built Nelson to shadow some of the premier midfielders in the competition. They have a sense of where to run. Nelson is winning rave reviews from the inner sanctum at Optus Oval. But don't expect the humble, quietly spoken right-footer to sing his own praises. His father, Phil 'Sandy' Nelson, played 244 matches for Sturt from 1966-77 to be one of South Australia's finest defenders in a halcyon era.