Gwilt has been in contact with former North Melbourne hard man Glenn Archer – the connection being that the two are both graduates of Melbourne suburban club Noble Park.
The 22-year-old says Archer has given him plenty of advice in his quest to secure a spot in the St Kilda side.
"I've caught up with him a few times to talk about effort, intensity and hardness at the ball. He was one of the toughest players going around mentally and physically. I learnt a bit off him," Gwilt said.
"He was pretty honest with me and said I need to improve on my physicality. I had the body and the physical traits for it but just getting it in my head that I could do that sort of stuff that he used to do. He taught me about taking it one contest at a time."
The advice seems to be paying off, with Gwilt playing the first eight games this season after playing in the last eight of last season.
"I never really feel settled and comfortable in the team. I am just trying to play my role as best as I can," he said.
Gwilt is back living with his parents in Noble Park but said his time spent living with teammates Leigh Fisher and Sam Gilbert made him understand what was needed to succeed at the elite level.
"Living with Fish and Gilbo over the last couple of years has helped me with the preparation and what I have to do to play at the level. A bit of continuity with the preparation during the week has helped me a bit."
Gwilt made headlines when he was drafted in 2004 without having come through the traditional TAC Cup pathway.
He was on the supplementary list at the Sandringham Dragons but struggled to make it to training as he was juggling his football with his VCE and a developing career with Victorian premier cricket side South Melbourne.
He took a while to string together regular senior games, but he says it was not because he didn't come through the traditional path.
"I was training at Noble Park, which was pretty professional for a suburban team. It's hard to say – I don't know because I didn't play any TAC Cup footy so I wouldn't know what their training was compared to Noble," he said.
Gwilt made his debut in the last round of 2005 against the Brisbane Lions but came to prominence the following week when he gathered 18 touches and kicked two goals in St Kilda's qualifying final win over Adelaide. The performance earned rave reviews but Gwilt struggled to back it up over the next two seasons.
"It was a bit tough. Everyone expected me to play at that level and I expected it myself. I did need to work harder in 06/07 because it doesn't just come to you. But over the last two years I think I've started training a lot harder and brought some intensity into training which has carried into games."
Older and wiser, Gwilt says he is looking to consolidate a spot as the third tall forward the Saints haven't had since injuries finished Aaron Hamill's career.
"The player group was looking out for one of those third tall type players to take a bit of pressure off Rooey and Kosi, to play a bit like Aaron Hamill used to do," he said.
"Our forwards coach Leigh Tudor has worked pretty closely with me and he said early in the season there were a couple of spots there in the forward line if I was willing to grab it."
