Joel Selwood, Greg Williams, Billy Murdoch among the best from Bendigo
Bendigo has produced quality athletes in different sports across history. Here are the best to emerge from the gold rush city.
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For more than 150 years Bendigo’s sports stars have led from the front to become some of the best in not only Australia but the world.
From tennis champions to Olympic and Commonwealth Games medallists to those who have dominated in the AFL, Bendigo has produced it all.
We list the best sporting heroes from Bendigo.
Glenn Ashby – Sailing
A legend in the sport of sailing. Ashby, representing Australia, has won 18 gold medals at the world championships. In 2008, he won silver in the tornado class at the Olympics. In recent years, the 47-year-old helped New Zealand win the America’s Cup. In 2013, he made his debut before captaining the team in 2017 and helping them retain the title in 2021.
Lewis Armstrong – Football
Was one of the first Bendigo players to play more than 100 games in the VFL. Armstrong played 107 games for Essendon with the forward the leading goalscorer for the club in 1911. The same year he helped the Bombers win the premiership, which the team replicated in 1912. He stopped playing in the VFL in 1914.
Fred Bamford – Football
Played more than 100 games for Fitzroy in the 1910s. Bamford was part of the VFL premiership team in 1916.
Joyce Bath – Cricket
One of the greatest female cricketers from Victoria. Bath, from Kangaroo Flat, played three tests for Australia in the 1950s, taking seven wickets. Bath played for both Victoria and Hawthorn in pennant cricket. For Hawthorn she took more than 1000 wickets with her off-spin. Bath is a life member of the Victorian Women’s Cricket Association and is part of the Cricket Victoria 200 club members.
Don Blackie – Cricket
More than likely will be the oldest ever Australian to make a test debut. Blackie did it at the age of 46 in 1928. The off-spinner originally played from the age of 23 to 35 before retiring. He then returned at the age of 40, playing for Victoria in first class cricket before making his debut for Australia in an Ashes series against England in 1928-29. All up, the Bendigo cricketer took more than 200 wickets in more than 45 matches in first class cricket and also took 14 wickets in his three tests.
Robert Burns – Cycling
A track cycling star from Bendigo who excelled in the 1980s. Burns won a gold medal in the men’s points race at the 1990 Commonwealth Games as well as competing in the same event in the 1988 Olympics. He missed out on a medal by one place, finishing fourth.
Arthur Cambridge – Rowing
A great of rowing in Bendigo. Cambridge is a four-time state champion in sculling and also won the national title in the same event in 1925. He was a pioneer of the sport with his performances putting the region on the map.
Mat Campbell – Basketball
One of the leading NBL players ever in the competition. Campbell played 524 games, all of them with Illawarra, from 1996-2012. The shooting guard won a premiership with Illawarra in 2001-02 and represented Australia as well in the early 2000s. Campbell scored more than 6100 points during his career in the NBL.
Ian Chapman – Cycling
A two-time national champion in the 1960s in the 1000m time trial. The Bendigo cyclist also won a silver medal in the 1962 Commonwealth Games in the time trial. Chapman represented Australia at the 1960 Olympics, finishing fifth in the 1000m time trial.
Bert Clay – Football
Made more than 150 appearances for Fitzroy from 1940-51 and played in the last premiership the club won before it merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1996.
Charlie Clymo – Football
One of the best coaches to come from Bendigo. Clymo coached Geelong to the 1931 VFL premiership, coaching them for one season and winning 17 out of 21 games. In the 1910s and 1920s, he coached multiple teams in Ballarat and Maryborough to premierships. All up he won more than half a dozen premiership in almost 20 years of coaching. Clymo was also a good player, playing for St Kilda in more than 50 games from 1907-09.
Duane Cousins – Athletics
Cousins is a two-time national champion in the 50km walk, winning in 1995 and 2003. The walker also represented Australia in the 50km at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics and competed in the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur, finishing second.
Nick Dal Santo – Football
Dal Santo played more than 300 games for St Kilda and North Melbourne and playing in three grand finals. The classy midfielder made the All Australian team three times and almost won the Brownlow Medal in 2005, finishing third.
Dyson Daniels – Basketball
He might be just 19 but his achievements have Daniels on this list. Daniels is a basketball star on the rise after being drafted to New Orleans and making his debut in the NBA this season. The Pelican has already represented Australia at senior level and won gold with the under-15 team at the Oceania championships in 2018. There’s no doubt he’s going to be one of Bendigo’s biggest names for the next decade.
Josh Davies – Baseball
A talented baseballer who signed for Major League Baseball teams but couldn’t get a game in the top division, instead playing in the minor leagues. Davies returned home in the 2010s and played for the Melbourne Aces in the Australian Baseball League. The baseman excelled at home, hitting 88 runs in more than 230 games during his seven year stint. Davies represented Australia at the World Cup in 2013 and retired from the sport in 2017.
Percy Daykin – Football
Played more than 130 games for Carlton in the 1910s, winning two premierships with the club in 1914 and 1915. The half-forward averaged more than a goal a game for the club in the VFL.
Des Duguid – Boxing
One of the greatest boxers in Australia during the 1950s and 60s. He won bronze at the 1954 Commonwealth Games and made the quarterfinals at the 1960 Olympic Games — all in the welterweight division. Also won multiple state titles and multiple Victorian titles.
Bert Edwards – Football
Edwards played more than 140 games for Richmond in the 1940s, including the 1943 VFL premiership. The wingman moved to Tasmania to play and would go on to represent the Apple Isle three times in State of Origin.
Fred Elliott – Football
The first player to play 200 matches in the VFL, for Carlton and Melbourne. For Carlton he helped the team to win the VFL premiership in 1908 and 1909. Elliott coached and captained the Blues and the midfielder is a great of the club. He was named in their hall of fame in 1988.
Christine Envall – Bodybuilder
The 50-year-old was a bodybuilder for almost two decades in the 1990s and 2000s, winning national titles as well as excelling overseas in professional competitions. She is currently based on the Gold Coast and runs a successful protein business.
Hannah Every-Hall – Rowing
One of the best female rowers, particularly in lightweight, this millennium. Every-Hall won a world championships gold medal in 2002 in the lightweight quad scull and followed it up in 2014 with a silver in the same event. The now 35-year-old is also an Olympian, competing in the London Games in 2012 and finished fifth in the lightweight double scull. Every-Hall was also successful in Australia, guiding Victoria and Queensland to Victoria Cup wins at the Australian Championships in 1999 and 2011.
Colin Fitzgerald – Cycling
One of the best track cyclists Bendigo has produced. Fitzgerald won gold in the team pursuit in the 1978 Commonwealth Games before finishing fifth in the same event at the 1980 Olympics.
Eric Fleming – Football
Fleming played more than 100 games for Geelong in the 1920s with 1925 the best season of his career. He helped Geelong win the premiership and was selected to play for Victoria against South Australia. The ruckman would play for Sandhurst in the BFNL, winning the premiership in 1935.
Billy Fry – Boxing
A dominant boxer in the 1960s who won an incredible 55 fights out of the 68 he contested. Fry represented Australia at the 1966 Commonwealth Games.
Rhein Gibson – Golf
Born in Bendigo but raised in Lismore, Gibson rose to fame in 2012 by shooting the lowest ever recorded round of golf with a 55 in the United States. His record, which has since been matched by another player, is recognised by the Guinness World Records. Gibson is a former PGA Tour player.
Geoff Grenfell – Shooting
A star of shooting for more than 20 years. Grenfell won a gold medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games in the Fullbore Rifle. The shooter also competed in the 2010 and 2014 Games as well. Grenfell didn’t just excel in the Commonwealth Games, he also performed well at the Australia Cup and national and world titles.
Greg Goodall – Yachting
Unlucky to never compete at an Olympic Games, Goodall is one of the greats in yachting. A multiple national champion and successful overseas performer, the talented yachtsman was recognised as the best in Victoria in 1983. Goodall has also spent plenty of time being part of the Bendigo Yacht Club, helping the next generation of stars to compete.
Joseph Goodall – Boxing
Goodall has been one of the best boxers in the country for the past decade. He currently holds the World Boxing Council Australasia Heavyweight title in boxing and has held it since 2021. His record is currently nine win, one loss and one draw. Before becoming pro, Goodall was successful as an amateur, winning silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and becoming the first Aussie to win a medal in more than 25 years at the World Championships, claiming bronze in 2017. The boxer won both medals in the super-heavyweight class.
Martin Gotz – Football
Gotz won premierships in not one but two competitions during the 1900s. Gotz played in the WAFL for East Fremantle in 1904, winning a premiership with them before moving back to Victoria to play for Carlton in the VFL. He played more than 100 games for the Blues, winning the premierships with them in 1907 and 1908.
Jack Haig – Cycling
Another cyclist from Bendigo who has been dominating on the world stage in recent years. Haig’s highlight of his career so far was finishing third at the Vuelta a Espana in 2021. The Team Bahrain Victorious rider has also finished inside the top 10 at the Paris Nice three times and inside the top five at the Criterium du Dauphine twice in the past two years.
Chris Hamilton – Cycling
Currently, Hamilton is one of Australia’s best Grand Tour cyclists in the world after a stellar 2022. He finished 39th and 38th respectively in last year’s Giro D’Italia and the Tour de France. The Team DSM rider has finished inside the top 45 in the past four Giro’s and he’s a winner of the national title in under-23 in the time trial and road race. This year, he finished sixth at the recent road race at the nationals in elite and will compete in the Tour Down Under in Adelaide next week.
Kristi Harrower – Basketball
One of the all-time greats in women’s basketball in this country. Harrower, over an almost 25 year career, won three silver medals and a bronze at four Olympics and also won the World Championship with Australia in 2006. The point guard also won two WNBL titles and one French title as well as having a seven year career in the WNBA. Harrower was inducted into the Australian basketball hall of fame in 2017.
Lucas Herbert – Golf
Currently in the top 60 in the world, this Bendigo golfer has won twice on the European PGA tour and once on the PGA tour. Last year, he finished inside the top-15 in two majors, the US Open and the PGA Championship.
Herbert Hesse – Golf, Lawn Bowls, Cricket
A talented player in three sports, golf, lawn bowls and cricket, dominating Bendigo competitions. In lawn bowls, Hesse won nine Bendigo Bowls Club singles titles and three Champions of Champions competitions for the bowls district of Bendigo. In golf, he represented Bendigo at Melbourne Country Week 10 times and in cricket he played A-grade for Bendigo United for two decades. Hesse is a life member at Bendigo United Cricket Club.
Julian Holland – Boxing
A successful boxer in the 1990s and early 2000s from Bendigo. Holland won 29 of his 33 matches in his career and was an Australian champion in the welterweight class. He also won a welterweight title in Oceania.
Stephen Huss – Tennis
Born in Bendigo, before moving to Melbourne, Huss was an accomplished tennis player, specialising in doubles. His best achievement came in 2005 when he won the doubles title at Wimbledon, beating the Bryan brothers after qualifying for the event. Huss and his partner Wesley Moodie were the first players to do it, qualify and win. Huss all up won four ATP doubles titles and reached a career-high ranking of 21. He is now based in the United States and is a head coach there.
Sam Irwin-Hall – Gridiron
Irwin-Hall never played in the NFL but he was part of three teams during his career. The Bendigo punter played college football for Arkansas, averaging 40 yards per punt in his final season in 2014, before making a move to the NFL after that. He signed with the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders and Atlanta Falcons but was never used in an NFL game, instead he was either part of their practice squads, or used in pre-season.
Faith Leech – Swimming
At 15-years-old, Leech became the first Bendigo athlete to win a gold medal at an Olympics, claiming gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay. She also claimed bronze in the 100m freestyle final at the same Games. The short distance swimmer also won the 1955 Australian title, at 14, breaking the record for the 100m at the time. After the Games, she retired and never swam again, instead settling down to have a family and work in her family business in Bendigo. Leech’s achievements, despite being short, were enough to make her a legend. She is featured in the Path of Champions in Sydney and the main pool in Bendigo is named after her. Leech is also in the Bendigo Sports Stars hall of fame.
Bob McCaskill – Football
One of the best coaches in the Bendigo league. McCaskill coached Sandhurst to nine premierships from 1927 to 1940 after playing for Richmond in the VFL in the early 20s. His success led him to coach North Melbourne and Hawthorn in the VFL in the 40s and 50s. McCaskill died in 1952 at the age of 56 only one year after finishing his coaching career at Hawthorn.
Emily McInerny – Basketball
McInerny won Commonwealth Games gold in 2006 and a World Championship in the same year but was overlooked for the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympics before she retired in 2009. A defensive juggernaut, she was a nine-time defensive player of the year in the WNBL during her career. The forward played more than 300 games in the WNBL and was awarded life membership in the competition in 2006/07.
Ian McLean – Football
Up until last year, McLean held the record for the most premierships won by a Bendigo player. McLean won three with Melbourne in the 1950s, playing more than 140 games for the club. McLean was a courageous wingman who was quick around the ground and had good ball skills.
Bree Mellberg – Diving and wheelchair rugby
A talented sportsperson who has excelled in two sports. The Bendigo athlete first competed in diving, winning an Australian junior title in 2008 in the 3m synchro with another diver. After breaking her neck during a trampoline accident, Mellberg set her sights on another sport, wheelchair rugby. The 32-year-old has competed at World Championships for Australia and in 2021 she made her debut at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
Dan Minogue – Football
Minogue coached and played more than 400 games of VFL football, becoming the only person, to date, to coach five teams in the VFL/AFL competition. The centre-half back played for Collingwood before moving to Richmond and captain-coaching the Tigers to the 1920 and 1921 premierships. His achievements put him into the AFL hall of fame in 1996.
Billy Murdoch – Cricket
One of the best cricketers to ever play the game in the 19th century. Murdoch started playing for Australia in 1877 in the second ever match in test cricket. The top order batsmen played 19 tests, including the famous 1882 test which started ‘The Ashes.’ He also captained his country in 16 tests. In 1892, he played for England and is one of five players who have played for the Poms and the Aussies. Murdoch made more than 16,000 first class runs in his career, playing for New South Wales, Sussex and London Country.
Lisle Nagel – Cricket
Nagel played one test for Australia in 1932 against England and took more than 60 wickets in more than 20 first class matches. Born in Bendigo, Nagel was a tall right arm fast bowler.
Ian Nankervis – AFL
A Geelong legend who was the leading games record holder at the Cats when he retired in 1983. Playing as a forward line and a rover, Nankervis excelled later in his career in the back pocket. Nankervis represented Victoria 12 times and was captain in 1979. The Cat was also in the All Australian team in 1980 and is a three-time Geelong best and fairest. He was named in the Australian hall of fame in 2005 and is also in the Geelong hall of fame.
Glen Saville – Basketball
One of the all time greats in the NBL and for the Wollongong/Illawarra Hawks. Saville played more than 560 games in the competition, of which 527 came at the Hawks, which is a club record. The small forward won one title with the Hawks in 2001 and was named as the MVP during the finals series. He also represented Australia at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games. The Bendigo basketballer finished his career as the fourth most capped player in the NBL and had the honour of having his jersey retired.
Adam Selwood – AFL
A premiership winner with West Coast who played more than 180 games with the club. Selwood was one of the best taggers in the game in the 2000s. The Eagle also represented Australia four times, playing against Ireland in international rules.
Joel Selwood – AFL
Is one of Bendigo’s finest and great sportsmen. Selwood is a four-time premiership winner with Geelong and leads the clubs in games played. The midfielder was always known for his toughness at the contest and his ability to win the ball under any circumstances. Selwood has captained the most games ever by an AFL player and has the most wins of any captain. He is a six-time All Australian, a three-time best-and-fairest and Michael Tuck medallist.
Don Sherman – Lawn bowls
Sherman is a legend in lawn bowls and created history as the first Australian to win a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games in the sport. He did it in 1982 in the men’s fours. The talented bowler also represented Australia and Bendigo and is a stalwart at the South Bendigo Bowls Club. Sherman was a president, greens director and life member of the club during his more than 30 years at the club.
Deanna Smith – Basketball
The first basketball player in history to play in the WNBL and also the wheelchair equivalent of the game in the WNWBL. Smith, a guard, is a two time WNBL premiership winner with the Canberra Capitals and was also named in the All Star five in the competition in 2006, 2009 and 2010. Smith played more than 60 games for the Opals in her career.
Geoff Southby – AFL
One of Carlton’s greatest players. The fullback played more than 260 games for the club in the 1970s and is in the Blues team of the century. Southby won two premierships in 1972 and 1979 and won the best-and-fairest in 1971 and 1972. In 1980, he was in the All-Australian team. The Sandhurst player represented Victoria 16 times during his career.
Jenna Strauch – Swimming
One of the best female breaststroke swimmers in the world currently. Strauch won silver in the 200m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games and the World Championships last year. The 25-year-old added gold in the 4x50m medley relay at the recent short course world titles in Melbourne.
Jack Trickey – Cycling
Competed at the 1956 Olympic Games in the individual and team road race but didn’t finish either race. Trickey is a state and national champion in specific distance road races and was a rider who kept of riding, even in his later years in life.
Harry Trott – Cricket
Harry Trott was one of the founders of the Bendigo District Cricket Association, becoming president in 1904. A lot of what he implemented and started at the BDCA is still in action today. Trott is a star of the game, playing 24 tests for Australia, eight as captain, from 1888 to 1898, before he was forced to retire from the game. After retiring, Trott moved to Bendigo to become a post officer, which initiated his interest in Bendigo cricket. The rest, as they say, is history and Trott is a major legacy to the game in the city. Harry Trott Oval is named in his honour.
Tayla Vlaeminck – Cricket
One of only a handful of Bendigo women to play test cricket for Australia. She made her debut in England in 2019 and has also played one day matches and T20 contests for Australia. A leading bowler, she’s taken 17 wickets in all international matches she has played. Vlaeminck currently plays for the Melbourne Renegades and Victoria in the women’s Big Bash and the Women’s National Cricket League.
Greg Williams – AFL
One of the best midfielders to ever play the game. Williams is the only Bendigo player to win a Brownlow and won it twice in 1986 and 1994. Williams, nicknamed Diesel, is also a premiership player, winning the title with Carlton in 1995. Diesel represented Victoria nine times and played 250 games of AFL with three clubs. The midfielder is in the Australian hall of fame, the AFL team of the century and is in Sydney’s and Carlton’s hall of fame.
Shaun Williams – Cricket
Had a distinguished career in Darwin A-grade cricket, making more than 3000 runs and taking more than 100 wickets. He also played and coached the ACT Comets. Williams claim to fame came in 2007 when he was named as Bangladesh coach and coached them during the T20 World Cup, winning one game but qualifying for the Super 8. In recent years, Williams has been a coach in India.
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