[6] He married Dorothy Elspeth Wilson (1880-1952), at Mosman, New South Wales, on 17 December 1909.

He attended Caulfield Grammar School (as did his Melbourne team-mate Frank Langley) from 1886 to 1888.

[17][18][19][20][21][22] Playing as a ruckman, and recruited from the Alberton Football Club (one of the foundation clubs of the Metropolitan Junior Football Association[broken anchor]),[23] he played for Melbourne's VFA side for four years (1893-1896).

[25][26][27][28] One of the best players for Melbourne on the day, Wardill (who had "work[ed] like a lion") was carried off the ground shoulder-high by his team-mates at the end of the match.

[29] In 1901, when it was thought that he had retired, the eminent footballer, coach, and sports journalist, Jack Worrall, observed that Wardill "was one of the most brilliant exponents the game has seen".