Newton is originally from Whitfield, a small town of around 200 people, located near Wangaratta in north-eastern Victoria.
Newton played for Albury and for the Bushrangers in 1996,[5] earning the attention of AFL recruiters by winning the award for the best and fairest player in the Ovens & Murray Football League, the Morris Medal.
He had an impressive pre-season; his track work was described as "stunning", he put on a lot of muscle and he played well in intra-club practice matches.
[9] One week after being drafted, Newton played in Melbourne's only 1997 Ansett Australia Cup match, a loss to Carlton.
[10] Having been dubbed Melbourne's "key signing" of the off-season, the expectation at the start of the season was that Newton would "play at some stage".
[22] Midway through April, Newton played his first full game in the reserves, kicking four goals in the process,[23] only for a hernia operation to sideline him for a month.
[30] Newton left the Demons at the end of 2008, becoming the ruck coach at Hawthorn[31] and public relations and marketing executive at the Moonee Valley Racing Club.