Platten was born in South Australia. He began (and ended) his career with Central Districts in the SANFL competition. A junior with Centrals, he commenced in the junior ranks in 1979 and made his league debut in 1981. Platten immediately made an impact with Centrals, becoming a full State Representative in 1982 and continued to be a regular in the state team throughout his career. Platten's greatest achievement at Centrals was his 1984 Magarey Medal win along with two best and fairest awards (1984, 1985).