Sunshine Coast, Noosa’s inspiring athletes, admins and stars
From footy to the racetrack, these 50 sports stars have had or are having an indelible impact on Sunshine Coast and Noosa sport. Read the list of the most influential.
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Sport can bring a community together unlike anything else.
Through its comradeship and spirit many people turn to sport to feel a sense of connectedness.
But it’s the people’s passion for their sport that really showcases their tireless dedication for promoting and supporting their club, team or code.
There are countless athletes, admins, coaches and supporters who have helped shape or are shaping Sunshine Coast and Noosa sport.
It would be impossible to name them all.
Here are some those people who are most influential in their sport within the region, in no particular order.
Rugby League
Brad Beetson
Sunshine Coast Bunyas president Brad Beetson has long advocated for Indigenous rugby league players across the region, and was the mastermind behind creating a knockout carnival in Nambour.
As the son of legendary Australian and Maroons player Arthur, Beetson said his passion for the sport really stemmed from the relationships he’d been able to build.
“Being involved in football, the people that you meet that’s probably the highlight and the relationships you create,” he said.
Beetson said rugby league on the Sunshine Coast, like many other codes, had faced its challenges during the pandemic but he’s hopeful about the future of the game.
“With Covid it’s been a real battle, with the lines of restrictions getting football on the field and getting training all the protocols, it’s really hurt the game,” he said.
“The fact we didn’t have footy for many years, people have gone away. We’ve hardly got sponsors but things are on the up now.
“We’ve got better numbers across this year than a few years. There’s more people coming to the area.”
Michelle Horn
Kawana Dolphins became the first senior club in 100 years of Sunshine Coast Rugby League to elect a female president.
Michelle Horn is a hard working volunteer who rose through the ranks for her club and created history in Sunshine Coast Rugby League circles.
Horn said she hoped to become a trailblazer for other women in the code looking for leadership roles.
Chris Flannery
Sunshine Coast Falcons CEO Chris Flannery has led the Kawana based club since 2013 and has been pivotal in getting the club back to the fore of the Intrust Super Cup.
The former Roosters and Maroons player has had a long history with the sport both at a local level and nationally.
As the feeder club to the Melbourne Storm, Flannery has worked alongside some of the Falcons’ best players to give them a chance at playing in the NRL.
Andrew Hinson
Andrew Hinson has re-established Kawana Dolphins as a Sunshine Coast Rugby League powerhouse, leading the club to victory in 2021.
Taking over as coach in 2019, Hinson has transformed the club after taking the reigns of a squad that missed the finals in 2018 and hadn’t won a title since 2015.
Hinson told the Daily in 2021 he was proud of what he’d achieved with the club.
“I’ve been working on this for a long time, been at the club 15 years,” Hinson said.
“We have a rich history in our club which we are now starting to build on.
“It’s a credit to this club having three grades in the grand final.”
Martin Cordwell
Respected rugby league player Martin Cordwell has spent years on the field showcasing his talent for the game.
Cordwell, whose Queensland Cup career took him to the Souths Logan Magpies, Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles, Redcliffe Dolphins and Falcons, recently retired from state-level footy.
The front rower played a leading role as the Sunshine Coast Falcons won the minor premiership in 2019.
Cordwell, 32, returned to his beloved Nambour Crushers in 2022, the club where he first laced up at age five.
Kenny Greenway
Caloundra Sharks under 18s rugby league coach Kenny Greenway was voted by Daily readers as the best Sunshine Coast’s best coach in 2021.
Greenway only started coaching in 2015 and was honoured to be voted the region’s best.
“Growing up I played a range of sports so I’m absolutely hooked on that team aspect that comes with it,” he said when he was given the title last year.
“I’m a bit older now so not being able to play but to still be involved is a big thing.
“I’ve built up a really good relationship with the boys so it’s good to see them do well and they really are a great group of young men.”
Rowan Klein
Former Falcons and Sea Eagles player Rowan Klein has continued to share his knowledge of the game he loves with others on the Coast.
Klein has worked hard as head coach of the Stanley River Wolves head coach in 2021.
Steve Belsham
As a regional NRL games development officer and stalwart of fostering talent, Steve Belsham has seen it all on the field.
Belsham has long supported the inclusion of girls and boys playing rugby league at all ages.
Belsham has spent more than 25 years scouting for talent across Queensland for the NRL.
Brenton Stonier
Nambour Crushers star Brenton Stonier postponed his retirement in 2019 to win Rugby League Sunshine Coast’s senior player of the year.
The former Sunshine Coast Sea Eagle joined the Crushers midway through 2018.
As a veteran in the sport, he had been a support for many of the younger stars through the ranks.
Rugby Union
Mike Aronsten
Sunshine Coast Rugby Union manager Mike Aronsten has helped build the sport at a local level from the ground up.
Aronsten said he had helped develop the Coast’s passion for rugby union for more than six years and was inspired by how far the sport has come in terms of its support by both players and the community.
He said he was most proud of the inclusions of a women’s competition and the addition of Caboolture into the A-grade competition.
“There’s been quite a lot happening,” he said.
“Rugby Union is holding its own and slowly growing, it’s very competitive up here, it’s a relativity large catchment from Gympie to Wynnum.
“And in five years’ time when places like Aura and Harmony when young people to start to mature there’s a potential for growth of rugby in those housing estates.
“We’ll just be looking to expand the competition wherever we can.”
Luke Zeremes
Nambour Toads women’s rugby union head coach Luke Zeremes continues to champion the game on the Sunshine Coast.
After making the move from the Noosa Dolphins to the Toads in 2018, Zeremes has helped Nambour become a powerhouse women’s rugby union club from the under-15s to the senior competitions.
Zeremes said he was proud of the growth and recognition that women‘s rugby had received in recent years.
Mike Haines
The Brothers Sunshine Coast rugby union club president has helped the club take a huge step forward in 2022 fielding its first ever senior men’s and women’s teams since the club was founded more than 10 years ago.
The club that had promised a senior rugby set up since entering the junior competition in 2011, would compete in the new Sunshine Coast Friday night cup and senior women’s competitions.
Haines said he hoped the club could continue to expand into the a-grade, reserve grade and senior colts competitions in the next few years.
Tess Evans
Former Noosa Dolphin’s Women’s captain Tess Evans has helped pioneer a statewide push for more female rugby union participation.
Evans, 22, jumped behind an initiative by Queensland Rugby to deliver women in rugby leadership workshops around Queensland, including in regional areas including Cairns, Gold Coast, North Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Mackay and Rockhampton.
Dicky Taylor
Maroochydore Swans legend Richard ‘Dicky’ Taylor has had a long and impressive stint on and off the field at his beloved club.
As a Swans veteran since 1996, Taylor, 43, has seen it all when it comes to Coast rugby.
The beloved player can also claim victory with the Colts in 1997, A-grade as captain in 2005 and two reserve grade titles to his name.
Aussie Rules
Peter Bock
Mountain Creek State High School AFL program manager Peter Bock has always championed school sport.
Bock, who also is a successful former cross country runner, said there’s been a growth in recent years in women and girls giving the Sherrin a go.
“Being involved at a school level for the last 10 years, we can see the growth and the number of girls playing club football in our school teams,” he said.
“The influx of interstate people has seen school and junior football grow as well and they’re bringing their passion and wanting to get involved.
“Some of our clubs are at capacity too. Some are full, that’s a change at what it used to be in the past.”
Brock has also officiated more than 50 games as a boundary umpire in the AFL.
AFL and AFLW players
The Sunshine Coast can be a great training ground for players wishing to take their sporting careers further to the national stage.
Former Maroochydore female players that have been drafted into the AFLW competition include Maggie Harmer, Bella Smith, Bella Dawes and Lily Postlethwaite.
Meanwhile, the Brisbane Lions have also recruited former Sunshine Coast AFL players in the way of Carter Michael, Jack Payne, Eric Hipwood, and Tom Fullarton.
Lisa Daldy
Lisa Daldy has been an integral part of the Maroochydore Roos, having taken over the role of operations manager in 2017.
Daldy was named AFL Queensland’s Administrator of the Year in 2015.
She has also been instrumental in promoting a safe environment for players and supporters, and always advocated for domestic violence victims by organising the club’s White Ribbon Day event.
Football
Samara Christmas
Beerwah Glasshouse United Football Club powerhouse Samara Christmas is a strong advocate for Indigenous football.
Christmas, 26, donned the green and gold representing her Torres Strait culture at the Australian Indigenous Koalas, where she has capped twice.
The former Wanderers star joined her new team in 2022 and was named a player to watch this season.
Kyle and Korey Nix
This brother duo have worked hard during their time at Nambour Yandina United, having coached and mentored their team to victory in 2021.
With Kyle as coach and Korey as technical director and midfielder, the team were able to win their first piece of silverware since entering the competition 47 years ago.
Warren Crickmore
Taking over the reins as head coach of the Maroochydore Swans in 2022, Warren Crickmore has been a staple of football on the Sunshine Coast for many years.
Crickmore played a huge role in laying the foundations for the Sunshine Coast Wanderers, having worked hard to grow the club and attract strong players from rival clubs.
Golf
Grant Field
Grant Field is the coach of world number five Cameron Smith, who recently won the Players Championship in the US.
Based at Pelican Waters, Field is also the coach of a dozen or so of Australia’s best golfers including Jed Morgan who won this year’s Australian PGA, former Australian Amateur champion Louis Dobbelaar, tour pros Shae Wools-Cobb and Charlie Dann, top amateur Sarah Wilson and up-and-coming champ Ionna Muir.
Field was named the country’s top elite coach in 2022 and has hugely influenced the careers of a large number of top golfers.
Graeme Miller
Graeme Miller established the Invincibles Sunshine Coast Junior Golf Tour about 20 years ago which provided generations of young golfers the opportunity to play regular competitive golf through a circuit of junior tournaments.
The tour offered international stars like Cameron Smith, Jack Trent, Louis Dobbelaar, Cassie Porter, Shae Wools-Cobb, a chance to play when they were young.
Miller not only focuses on the quality of their golf game, he teaches them sportsmanship, the traditions of the game, how to speak confidently in public and is just as proud of the way they have turned out as people as he is of their golfing prowess.
Ian Baker-Finch
Ian Baker-Finch grew up on the Sunshine Coast and is considered one of the icons of Australian Golf, having won the 1991 British Open.
Baker-Finch now works as a TV commentator on the US PGA Tour, but gets back to the Sunshine Coast whenever he can.
The Ian Baker-Finch Junior Classic is played each year at Twin Waters, and Ian is a patron of the Invincibles Tour.
Dom Azzopardi
Based at Peregian Dom Azzopardi is coaching his star pupil Lucas Herbert, the fastest-rising young Australian golf star on the world stage.
Herbert last year won on both the US Tour and the European Tour and is ranked about 40th in the world.
Adam Scott
The only Australian to have won a US Masters in 2013, Adam Scott considers Sunshine Beach his home.
The widely respected pro golfer spent most of his time on the Sunshine Coast during the first year of the pandemic but has since returned to playing on the global stage, having recently competed at The Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in April, 2022.
Scott, 41, is tipped to be chosen captain of the Internationals team when the Presidents Cup returns to Australia in 2028.
Surf Lifesaving
Isaac Smith
Veteran Noosa lifeguard Isaac Smith earnt the Regional Lifeguard of the Year honour for the Sunshine Coast region in 2021.
SLSQ’s regional lifeguard awards announcement revealed Smith had been in countless major incidents over his 20-year career as a lifeguard, with many, mainly due to his intervention, resulting in positive outcomes.
Smith also implemented the interservice Noosa National Park induction.
In recent years Mr Smith has even expanded his skill set to become a crewman in the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service.
Nutri Grain Ironmen and Ironwomen
Lana Rogers and Jordan Mercer have each competed fiercely in the Nutri Grain Ironwoman competition.
Most recently, Jordan competed alongside her dad Darren Mercer, a lifesaving legend in his own right having been a former Australian ironman and Coolangatta Gold champion.
Meanwhile Sunshine Coast athlete and two-time Olympian Alyssa Bull originally started kayaking after her love of surf lifesaving wasn’t considered an Olympic sport.
Ms Bull, 26, represented her country at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics in the K1 and K2 events and competed in Ironwoman series from 2012—2014 where she was the Under 17 Australian champion in 2012.
She returned to surf lifesaving competitions in 2018 and won the Lifesaving World Championships and won four gold medals at the 2019 Australian Surf Life Saving Champions in 2019.
Cricket
Pat Drew
Sunshine Coast cricket commentator Pat Drew is fiercely passionate about the sport.
Having a knowledge about the region’s cricket history which dates back to its inception in the late 1800s, there’s almost nothing Drew doesn’t know about the game.
Drew said the Coast had seen a lot of changes in the sport, with the introduction of night cricket and the T20 format to producing one of the strongest women’s competitions in the state.
He said there was a lot of promise with new players signing up as the Coast continued to expand.
Glen Batticciotto
Caboolture’s Glen Batticciotto is considered one of the Sunshine Coast’s best batsmen.
The former Queensland Bulls player has been a consistent and stylish run scorer for his side and holds a complete duffel bag of crafty shot selections at the top of the order.
The 40-year-old left handed batsman lets his class and precision do the talking in front of the stumps.
Nick Fitzpatrick
Nick Fitzpatrick is co-Founder of Australia’s largest private coaching organisation, the Australian Cricket Institute.
The long time Sunshine Coast Scorcher helped pioneer the Coastal Marlins in the Brisbane Premier League, which is proving a big success in both its seniors and juniors sides.
Swimming
Kaylee McKeown
Kaylee McKeown became a household name and an inspiration for the next generation of swimmers after a sensational performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The 20-year-old USC Spartans-trained swimmer won gold in the 100m and 200m backstroke as well as the 4x100m medley.
Dawn Fraser
Olympic legend Dawn Fraser has made her mark on Australian culture in her life spanning multiple decades, in and out of the pool.
During the peak of her career she racked up four gold medals, three of them in the 100m freestyle in three consecutive Olympics as well as winning six Commonwealth gold medals.
Outside of the pool Ms Fraser has been a staunch advocate for victims of domestic and sexual violence baring her soul to the world in the hope for change.
Marayke Jonkers
The swimmer and paratriathlete has won two bronze medals at the Athens Olympics and silver in Beijing.
Jonkers also founded her charity, Sporting Dreams, which has helped more than 120 people achieve their own sporting goals despite their disability.
Boxing
Taylah Robertson
With five Australian titles, a Commonwealth Games bronze medal and a swag of medals in international tournaments, Robertson’s presence in the ring is unmatched.
After starting fighting aged 11, Robertson became the youngest female to represent Australia in boxing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The former 24-year-old Cooroy boxer now trains under well respected boxing coach Glenn Azar and said her ambition is to be the undisputed champion of the world in her weight division.
Dana Coolwell
Dana ‘Deadly’ Coolwell burst onto the professional scene in 2019 before being crowned the Australian super featherweight champion with an upset defeat over Miles Zalewski in 2021.
The 23-year-old former Beerwah Bulldogs rugby league junior began boxing at the Hinterland Boxing Club when he was 13.
After recording his seventh professional win under the tutelage of Stephen Pitt Coolwell now has his sights set on becoming World Champion.
Horse Racing
Stuart Kendrick
The Sunshine Coast’s leading horse racing trainer has an impressive career on the track.
Kendrick has won the most premiership trophies, after winning for the fifth year in a row to top the Sunshine Coast trainers premiership table in 2021.
Surfing
Julian Wilson
Former World Surf League competitor from Coolum, Julian Wilson, stepped away from the championship to spend more time with his family and prepare for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.
Despite not making it past the early rounds of the Olympics competition, Wilson, 33, has proved himself to be one of the best surfers from Australian, becoming world number 17 when he retired from the league.
Isabella Nichols
Quickly making a name for herself in the surfing world, Isabella Nichols is a high ranking female surfer from Coolum.
Nichols, 24, began surfing at age nine and is quickly rising up the ranks.
She currently holds a World Surf League ranking of 12th.
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