At a Glance Junior Clubs: Sturt Clubs: Port Adelaide (2011 National Draft, pick 6) Debut: Rd 1, 2012 v St Kilda Recruited from: Sturt Sponsors: Zambero Semaphore & Adelaide Signs Elusive, fast and has a terrific vertical leap as well as a remarkable goal-sense, Wingard is a blue-chip AFL footballer and one of Port's special weapons. TIMELINE 2012 Wingard debuted as a substitute in the opening round of 2012 and excited the crowd with his fast running, agile gameplay. Recovering from a shoulder injury which kept him out of action for two weeks, Wingard played 19 out of the Power’s 22 games for the year. His explosive and influential 27-disposal performance in the midfield against Brisbane in round 22 saw him win a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination. He was awarded the Gavin Wanganeen Medal for the club’s best player under 21 years at the Power’s annual best and fairest awards night. 2013 A John Cahill Medal, Showdown Medal, All-Australian selection and Fans' MVP were listed along Wingard's name at the end of the 2013 season. He won games - particularly Showdown XXXV - off his own boot and blitzed his teammates in the best and fairest count after Round 8. Recognised with All-Australian selection as a result of his breakout year, Wingard became a household name and elevated himself to star status at Port Adelaide. 2014 Wingard came to the fore in key moments throughout 2014, notably with sterling performances up forward against Adelaide in the first game at the new Adelaide Oval, but it was his five-goal performance against Fremantle in both Round 8 and inspired four goals against the Dockers in the semi final that capped his season. A quieter year, but a solid performance he can build on for 2015. 2015 Wingard flew under the radar in the first handful of games for the 2015 season, but was able to find the ball and have a significant impact up forward, spending a little more time in the midfield. He hit career-best form midway through the year and finished a disappointing team season on a strong individual note after being named in the AFL's All-Australian team for the second time and coming runner-up in the club's John Cahill Medal count. 2016 A quieter season by his standards, a head-knock earlier in the year saw him miss a game and he battled to find his top-shelf form. Still, Wingard did kick his way to the leading goal-kicker title for Port Adelaide and continued to do what Chad normally does - the impossible - though a little less frequently than fans were used to. 2017 Another strong year from the mercurial forward-midfielder saw him spend more time in the midfield, while also kicking 28 goals and averaging more than 22 disposals a game in 2017. An ankle injury suffered against the Demons saw Wingard miss 4 games late in the year.
