Paul Hudson

Paul Hudson (born 20 July 1970) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for Hawthorn, the Western Bulldogs and Richmond in the Australian Football League (AFL). He currently serves as a development coach with St Kilda and as the senior coach of Victorian Football League club Sandringham. Paul Hudson is also currently the Yarra Valley Grammar head coach in the AGSV competition.

Playing career In 1990, Hudson followed in the footsteps of his father Peter Hudson and joined Hawthorn, where played until the end of the 1996 season. A half forward, he kicked 264 goals in his seven seasons at the club, averaging nearly 38 goals a year. In 1991, in just his second year of AFL football, he finished fifth in the Brownlow Medal and kicked two goals in Hawthorn's grand final victory. In the 1992 pre-season competition, he won the first-ever Michael Tuck Medal for his performance in the grand final. He was traded to the Western Bulldogs for the 1997 season and earned All-Australian selection in 1998. He was on-traded to Richmond at the end of 2001 and only managed three games before retiring in 2002.

Statistics

Honours and achievements Team AFL Premiership player: 1991

Individual All-Australian team: 1998 Western Bulldogs leading Goalkicker: 1998, 1999

Coaching career Hudson worked as an assistant coach with both the Brisbane Lions and Collingwood. He was later a development manager for the St Kilda Football Club through the Saints' association with Sandringham as its VFL senior coach. His father was football manager at St Kilda under the Ken Sheldon coaching reign from 1990 until 1993.