After making his first foray into the fast-paced world of VFL football in black and white stripes, a Goulburn Valley League football prodigy has found a home in the navy blue.
Shepparton Swans star Oliver Warburton made his Carlton VFL debut on Saturday night in a thrilling clash against standalone side Port Melbourne.
The young gun midfielder-defender was part of the Blues' 11-point round 14 win over a Borough side featuring a glut of former AFL-listed players.
The fixture was Warburton’s third opportunity at the grade, after he played two matches for Collingwood VFL’s side — against Richmond and Sydney — during his draft year in 2024.
Remarkably, for the Warburton clan, Oliver’s pulling on of the navy blue guernsey marked four generations of the family representing Carlton Football Club.
It began with Oliver’s great-grandfather Keith who was a human highlight reel for 74 games at Princes Park in the 1950s.
His son Peter continued the tradition with four games at the Blues in the early 1970s, before Oliver’s father Brett played nine reserves games at Carlton in the 1990s.
Warburton’s parents Brett and Ange and sister Daisy were wrapped along the ETU Stadium boundary line on Saturday night to cheer on his first game as a Blue Bagger.
The recently turned 19-year-old was given his promotion to the VFL after an impressive slew of matches for Shepparton Swans.
Warburton has been a key factor in the Swans’ sharp rise up the ladder in 2025.
His precise kicking, quick thinking and gut running have been a feature of the Swans’ engine room alongside the likes of Nathan Hrovat, Zac Alderton and ruck Mark Kovacevic.
Across his past four outings for Shepparton Swans, Warburton has averaged 30.3 disposals and 104.8 ranking points a match.