Junior career Nelson played junior football for St Mary's. He later represented the
Geelong Falcons in the
TAC Cup, where he played 12 matches while averaging 20 disposals. In 2014, he played for Vic Country at the AFL Under 18 Championships, averaging four tackles and 12 disposals in six matches. Nelson was drafted by West Coast with pick 51 in the 2014 national draft.
AFL career Nelson made his AFL debut in the opening round of the
2015 AFL season after impressing coach
Adam Simpson during the
NAB Challenge. He played 11 games for West Coast in 2015 and nine with
West Australian Football League (WAFL) affiliate
East Perth. Nelson played the first four rounds of the
2016 AFL season before being dropped to the WAFL. He responded with a strong performance against
Swan Districts, playing a
midfield role rather than
defence. He amassed 29 touches, six tackles, seven marks and six inside-50s. Nelson finished the year with eight matches in the AFL He missed three weeks of football, although he continued running in training, and returned with a 15-disposal, one-goal effort for East Perth. In July, Nelson extended his contract by two years (until 2019). He played 13 AFL matches In 2018, Nelson played 10 AFL matches He played nine games in the WAFL, At the end of the
2022 season, Nelson was delisted by the Eagles.
Post-AFL career Despite his AFL delisting, Nelson remained at West Coast and signed with the club's
reserves team in the WAFL for the
2023 season, becoming the team's captain. At the end of the
2024 WAFL season, he left the Eagles and returned to Victoria, where he signed with
Old Geelong in the
Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA). ==References==