Rick Kelly, Chris Tarrant, Jason Akermanis among the best from Mildura
Mildura has produced an array of sporting talents across different codes. Here are the best to emerge from the Sunraysia region.
Mildura
Don't miss out on the headlines from Mildura. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Mildura punches above its weight when it comes to producing sporting heroes.
For more than 140 years it has been producing world champions, AFL superstars and those who have dominated their sport of choice.
Here is a list of the best to come from the region.
Leigh Adams, motorcycle speedway
A legend of motorcycle speedway. Adams is a world champion in the world team event and has won two World Cups. In Australia, he is a 10-time solo championship winner and won five championships in the under-21 and under-16 age groups.
Jason Akermanis, Footy
Akermanis might be remembered as a Queenslander but he was born in Mildura and spent his first few years in the region. The Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs legend is a great of the game, playing in three premierships in 325 AFL games. The skilful midfielder who also played as a small forward, kicking incredible goals, is a Brownlow medallist and a four-time All Australian.
Lance Arnold, Footy
A player capable of playing in defence and attack. Arnold played 149 games for Melbourne from 1946-54 and was one of the best players for the club during his time there.He played in defence in the first part of his career before moving to the forward line in 1948 with immediate success. He topped the club’s leading goalkickers list with 41 and helped the Demons to the premiership.
Harold Ball, Footy
Ball’s VFL career is one of what could have been for the Mildura/Merbein product. The ruckman played for Melbourne in 1939 and 1940 while also being a groundsman at the MCG before he made the move. The Demon would play 33 games, winning a premiership with the club, before being enlisted into the army for World War 2. Ball would never play another game. He died in 1942 at the hands of the Japanese.
Adam Bland, golf
The Mildura golfer is a three-time winner on the PGA tour, winning two events in Canada and the WA Open in 2005. In recent years, the left handed golfer has played on the Japan Tour with some success along the way. In his career, the 40-year-old has played three majors, all at the US Open, playing in 2006, 2015 and 2017.
Mark Cleary, cricket
One of the best cricketers to play in the region. The former Victoria and South Australia Sheffield Shield and one day player has been part of the Mildura competition before and after playing for the two states. Cleary is a three-time player of the year in the competition and has taken loads of wickets and made plenty of runs.
Ben Chaffey, horse racing
The Mildura businessman was heavily involved in the horse racing industry in the 1920 and 1930s, being a major part in the sport. He owned two Caulfield Cup winners in Manfred (1926) and Whittier (1922 and 1925) and was also the chairman of the Victoria Amatuer Turf Club (now Melbourne Racing Cup) in 1930. He died in 1937.
Matthew Croft, footy
From Meringur, the played 186 games for the Western Bulldogs across a 13-year career at Whitten OVal. In his farewell game in 2004, Croft booted five goals.
Phil Crump, motorsport
A legend in speedway motorcycle racing, winning the World Team Cup for Australia in 1976. Crump is a national champion in the Australian Solo Championship, winning it four times. The motorcycle speedway star is also a 13-time Victorian state champion. He also won the NSW state title in 1976.
Jason Crump, motorsport
The son of a gun is pretty good himself. Crump is a three-time Speedway Grand Prix World Champion. He also won the World Team Cup and the World Cup a combined three times. To top it all off, Crump is a two-time Australian champions and a six-time state champion with Queensland. The 47-year-old will no doubt join his father as a hall of fame member.
Brad Davidson, basketball
The point guard was one of the best players in the NBL for more than a decade from 1997-2009. He played for five clubs including Townsville, Cairns and Adelaide. Davidson scored almost 3400 points in his NBL career and had more than 1000 rebounds and assists. The Mildura basketballer also represented Australia and won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Davidson is currently a coach in the United States, coaching NCAA team Hawaii.
Cherie Gallagher, basketball
The forward played more than 200 games in the WNBL in the 2000s and 2010. Gallagher played for Adelaide first before playing for Townsville on and off while being a mother. After making two grand finals in the early 2010s, and losing both, Gallagher was able to get her hands on the trophy in 2016. She immediately retired after the game.
Tony Haenen, AFL
The Mildura footballer played more than 90 games for South Melbourne in the 1960s and played in their finals series in 1970. Haenen left the VFL in 1971 and played and coached North Launceston in 1972. The defender, who also played as a ruckman, represented North Tasmania at the state championships before representing the Apple Isle at the national titles – State of Origin – later that year in Perth. He rounded out his career in the VFA with Port Melbourne, winning the premiership in 1976.
John Harris, AFL
Born in Mildura, Harris is a two-time premiership player with Collingwood, winning the VFL premiership in 1927 and 1928. The midfielder who played on the half forward flank and also on the wing. Harris then moved to Hawthorn and finished his career there as first a player and then a coach. All up, he played and coached in more than 150 matches. Nicknamed Jiggy, because of the way he moved around the football field, which was all the time, he won an incredible 80 per cent of matches while at the Pies. Harris is a life member at Collingwood.
Melissa Hickey, AFL
One of the pioneers of the AFL women’s competition. She played for Melbourne in the exhibition matches which helped start the competition before being named as one of two marquee players to join the club for the first season in 2017. The defender played in the first game for the Demons and played for two seasons before moving to Geelong. At the Cats she captained the club for the first two seasons before announcing her retirement. She played 25 matches in the AFL. Hickey is a seven-time VFL women premiership player for Darebin Falcons.
Rick Kelly, motorsport
One of the all-time greats of the V8Supercars. Rick Kelly won the title in 2006 and made 580 starts in his career, which is the fourth most in history. Kelly won 15 times and was on the podium 60 times. Two of those 15 wins came at the pinnacle of the Supercars championship, the Bathurst 1000, with Kelly winning the race in 2003 and 2004. Rick retired at the end of the 2021 season.
Todd Kelly, motorsport
Another all-time great in Supercars. Todd, the brother of Rick (above), won 19 times in his 541 races in the championship but was unable to win the championship, finishing a career high fourth in 2005. In the same year Kelly won his only Bathurst 1000. Todd is also a Bathurst 24 hour winner, in 2003, and at one stage owned his own team, Kelly Racing.
Matthew Knights, AFL
One of the all-time greats to put on a jersey for Richmond. The ball winning midfielder played almost 280 games in his career and captained the club for four seasons in the 1990s. He was a player built for the contest and getting the ball to targets. Post-playing days, Knights was a coach of Essendon from 2008-10 and has been an assistant coach at multiple clubs. He was part of West Coast’s coaching staff last year.
Phil Lamattina, motorsport
One of Australia’s best top fuel drag racers. Lamattina has won two national titles, in 2009 and 2014, and won an event last year in Mildura, which counted towards the national championship. In 2015, he was lucky to survive a crash, which almost ended not only his career but his life. He’s back in the sport and still doing great things in it.
Mark Lee, AFL
A dominant ruckman for the Richmond who also could kick goals when required. Lee played more than 230 games for the Tigers and was part of their 1980 premiership success. He captained the side in 1985 and 1986 and was the best and fairest at the club in 1984. The ruckman played for Victoria six times and was in the All-Australian team on three occasions.
Jason Lyons, motorsport
Another speedway motorcycle star from Mildura. Lyons is a national champion, winning the pairs championship in 1992, as well as the Victorian state championship in 1997, 1998 and 1999. The son of a gun also won a World Team Cup and a World Cup in 1999 and 2002 with Australia.
Kris McCarthy, athletics
McCarthy is a middle distance runner, excelling in the 800m. He competed in the 800m at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 before two years later, at the Commonwealth Games, he won bronze in the same event. The 43-year-old is also a two-time national champion in the event, winning the title in 2001 and 2003.
Ben McGlynn, AFL
Unlucky not to win a premiership after missing out on grand finals due to injury. McGlynn played for Hawthorn and Sydney from 2006 to 2016 and was involved in more than 170 matches. The small forward was selected to play for Australia in 2011. McGlynn is currently back in Mildura and is a coach at Wentworth in the Sunraysia Football League.
Bruce Murray, AFL and cricket
One of only a handful of players to not only play in the VFL/AFL but also play cricket for Victoria. Murray started in the VFL, playing 44 matches for South Melbourne in the early 1950s. He finished his career in 1954 and a couple of years later was playing for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. The all-rounder, who was more of a batter, played nine matches for Victoria. In later years he played for Prahran and was a star for the team, making more than 5000 runs and taking more than 420 wickets.
Rhiann O’Donnell, cricket
The Mildura cricketer has made more than a dozen appearances for Victoria in T20 and One Day cricket during her career so far. The all-rounder, after playing for Victoria from 2017 to 2020, has rejoined the team and recently played in their WNCL campaign. O’Donnell has also played for the Melbourne Renegades and Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash.
Jack Pickford, AFL
The Mildura player was part of the first Hawthorn VFL squad in 1925. He would make 55 appearances in four seasons and in 1927 was picked in the VFL representative squad. The halfback player also played for Melbourne in 1932, making two appearances.
Melissa Rowland, netball
The Mildura netballer was a star for almost a decade in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Rowland won a title with the Adelaide Thunderbirds in 2010 after also making the grand final with the side in 2009. The goal shooter/goal attack played for the Melbourne Vixens during her career. The talented netballer also won a state championship for Contax in SA netball and also represented SA’s state team to a national title in the Australian Netball League in 2012.
Justin Sedgmen, motorsport
Another motorcycle speedway racer who has represented Australia overseas and competed in the British Speedway Motorcycle Series. The 30-year-old helped his Speedway side Sheffield to win the league cup and be in the playoffs. Sedgmen is also a former Victorian state champion.
Dylan Stephens, AFL
One of the rising stars in the AFL. Stephens was born in Mildura before moving to Adelaide on a school scholarship. The midfielder has played 30 games for Sydney and was in their 2022 AFL grand final team. A top five pick in the draft in 2019 he could be one of the best players in the competition in future years.
Colin Sylvia, AFL
A talented midfielder who played more than 160 games for Melbourne and Fremantle. Sylvia was an AFL rising star nominee during his first season in 2006. He also finished inside the top five in Melbourne’s best-and-fairest for a couple of seasons and won the 2002 senior premiership with Merbein in the Sunraysia Football League. The former Demon’s career ended in 2015 and three years later was involved in a car crash, which took his life at the age of 32.
Chris Tarrant, AFL
One of the best football players to ever come from Mildura. Tarrant was one of the best forwards in the competition in the 2000s and played more than 260 games for two clubs. While he was good in attack he was also handy in defence and was used their multiple times. The former Collingwood and Fremantle player was in the 2003 All Australian team and kicked the most goals for the Pies from 2001 to 2005. Tarrant was also a talented basketballer, playing for the under-15 Victorian team.
Robbie Tarrant, AFL
The brother of Chris Tarrant (above), Robbie is also a handy footballer. The defender should bring up 200 AFL games. Tarrant is a former best- an-d fairest winner at the Kangaroos, in 2016, and represented Australia in international rules in 2017.
Cameron Waters, motorsport
One of the rising stars in the sport. Waters finished last year’s Supercars title in second, the highest he’s ever finished in the championship. So far, he’s won eight races and had 28 podiums in his career.
Josh Waters, motorsport
Waters is a three-time Australian Superbike champion who has also raced overseas extensively during his career. Waters competed in the 250cc and 125cc classes in MotoGP but wasn’t able to get to the premier class. In 2011, he raced in the World Superbikes, finishing 13th in the Australian race at Phillip Island. A talented rider who was the face of Suzuki for many years, Waters is a great of two wheel racing in the country.
Dale Weightman, AFL
One of the best midfielders ever to play the game. Weightman made more than 270 appearances for the Richmond Tigers from 1978 to 1993, playing in their 1980 premiership success. He was also a captain at the club from 1988 to 1992 and is a three time All Australian. Weightman also represented Victoria in State of Origin on a few occasions. Weightman is in the AFL Hall of Fame, the Richmond Hall of Fame and their team of the century.
Mildura sale and auction results, week ending October 20
Mildura proved to be a hot market last week with eight properties selling for a total value of $3.9 million. See the latest auction and sales results.
Search on for spookiest homes in Victoria
We’re on the hunt for the most grand Halloween-themed decorated homes in the state. Know a standout display? Nominate it now.