[3] After one season with Myrtleford, Hawthorn recruited Barton[4] and he made his senior VFL debut in round seven, 1956 against Fitzroy at Glenferrie Oval.
[5] Barton returned to play with Tawonga in the Tallangatta & District Football League up until 1963.
Barton then continued to play with the newly merged club of Tawonga - Bogong from 1964 until he retired in the mid 1970s.
The Tallangatta & District Football League senior football best and fairest award was changed to the Barton Medal in 1977, after three times best and fairest winner, George Barton died of cancer.
[6] At the time of Barton's death, he was also a four-time runner up in the Tallangatta & DFL best and fairest award between 1964 and 1970, where he originally polled the same number of votes as the winners, but finished second in the award to the player who polled the most three votes, on the countback system.