Winton was a gifted forward in his youth, topping the goal-kicking in the 1982 Under-19s competition.
[1] The former Wentworth played was promoted to the Richmond seniors in 1983. He was used mostly as a defender in the VFL and crossed to Essendon after just one season at Richmond.
In his first two seasons with Essendon, the club won premierships, and as a result he was only able to break into the team on three occasions during this time.[2] After another brief season in 1986, Winton played 20 of a possible 22 games in the 1987 VFL season, playing as a full-back.[3] When Essendon were unable to satisfy his salary expectations, he was released by the club and signed by St Kilda, with the first pick of the pre-season draft.[4]
Semi-Final: South Australia 12.8 (80) defeated New South Wales 8.11 (59), at Football Park, 3 March 1988 3rd Play-Off: New South Wales 10.8 (68) defeated Western Australia 9.12 (66), at Football Park, 5 March 1988