In addition to team success, East Sandringham is proud to acknowledge the amazing individual achievements of the following players that have played at AFL and AFLW level. Click on the players names to expand further details on their professional careers.
AFL / VFL / AFLW
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Brett O’Farrell – Sydney and Hawthorn AFL
After making his debut in 1998, former East Sandy junior Brett O’Farrell went on to play 21 AFL games with Sydney and Hawthorn across four seasons. O’Farrell was taken at pick 14 in the 1996 AFL draft after playing under 18’s TAC Cup with the Dragons. On debut for the Swans, O’Farrell joined an exclusive club when he scored a goal with his very first kick in AFL football. After playing in two finals that season, he was traded to Hawthorn but his time at the Hawks was cruelled by injuries. Post career, O’Farrell stayed involved in football working in development and pathways in regional areas.
Brett’s reflections on his time playing for Sandringham East Junior Football Club:
I joined East Sandringham at the under 10 level and just loved it straight away. Our back fence was connected to the East Sandringham oval and so I’d just climb the fence and be at training. I remember an under 11 camp we had for a lightning premiership in Swan Hill which was great fun. And also winning the under 11 grand final when we played on the Moorabbin oval (the home of the Saints) was also great. I made mates for life at East Sandy and I still talk to them every day. In terms of coaches, I can’t go past the brilliant John “Ghost” Williams – he was an amazing football mind. My advice to the young Zebbies playing today is to have fun, listen and make your coaches life easy.
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A two-time Brownlow medalist and member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame, Chris Judd is one of the most decorated players in the history of the game. After playing juniors with East Sandy, Chris soon made his way to the Sandringham Dragons and the AIS AFL Academy. Selected by West Coast with pick 3 in the 2001 draft, he exploded onto the AFL scene in 2002 and was award the AFLPA Best First-Year Player. Over a 279 game career, he become a six-time All Australian, including one as captain, and a five-time club champion – two at West Coast and three at Carlton (where he moved to in 2008). In 2022, he was made a member of the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.Chris’ reflections on his time playing for Sandringham East Junior Football Club:I was walking across Thomas St Park with my Dad on our way to sign up with Hampton Rovers and we just happened to run into a friend of my Dad who insisted that we join East Sandy instead. The next week I was signed up as a Zebbie! My earliest memory is of my very first game playing U9’s as a bottom ager. My Dad’s only advice was don’t go full back. Sure enough, I started at full back for the first quarter! There was a roaring wind so the ball didn’t come down that end and I didn’t get a touch. The next quarter I got moved to full forward which was now the end the wind was blowing against and so I still didn’t get a touch. It wasn’t until the last quarter that I got moved into the middle and this is where I stayed for most of my footy career. Even though we lost the game that day I was already hooked on footy! I can fondly remember all the different characters from those days. Alfy was our goal umpire and he always had a cigarette in his mouth and made some questionable decisions when the game was on the line. I had a lot of great coaches in my time and they all had their different quirks too. One particularly influential coach was Michael Mitchell. I had him for a few years and he had a big impact on my footy development at an age where I was starting to understand the nuances of the game. My advice to young players is to just enjoy your footy. So many young kids put so much pressure on themselves and play their junior footy constantly thinking about their dreams for the future instead of enjoying what’s right in front of their eyes.
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Jobe Watson – Essendon
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Ted Richards – Essendon and Sydney
Across a career spanning 261 games, Ted Richards had a reputation as one of the most likable players in the game. After spending his junior days with East Sandy, Ted progressed to Xavier and Sandringham Dragons. He was selected by Essendon with pick 27 in the 2000 National Draft. After making his debut in 2002, Ted played four seasons with the Bombers before a trade to Sydney. At the Swans quickly emerged as one of the competition’s elite defenders. Perhaps his most memorable season was 2012, when he played in a Swans premiership, was selected as an All Australian and finished runner-up in the clubs best and fairest.
Ted’s reflections on his time playing for Sandringham East Junior Football Club:I was a student at Sacred Heart Primary and one of my friends, Steven Seletto, said that his under 9s team at East Sandy needed extra numbers and asked if I would like to join. I gave it a go and was immediately hooked! My earliest memories include making new friends, getting a number on my jumper, playing games on cold winter mornings, getting covered in mud, kicking goals, singing the song after the game and the anticipation of who would win the pie award after the game. But my fondest memory is the friendships I made. At the time we only had one team in each age group and kids came from 4 or 5 different local schools, but we were all mates and achieved success together. I was lucky in that my Dad (Jeff Richards) coached me for two seasons (under 10s and under 11s). We had a lot of fun together and the team achieved team won a premiership and finished runners up in those two years. When I retired from professional football at the age of 33, I reflected on my 25 year journey playing the game and it was these early years with Dad that were my happiest memories playing the game. My advice to youngsters is to have an open mind. As much as football is fun, the reality is you’ll be challenged at different times; whether you’re mixing with new friends, developing new skills or spending time on the bench. Going into these challenges with an open mind will hold you in good stead for when bigger challenges come later in life and you need to show resilience to handle them.
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Josh P Kennedy – Hawthorn and Sydney
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Jack Watts – Melbourne and Port Adelaide
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William Walker – North Melbourne
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Karl Amon – Port Adelaide and Hawthorn
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Charlie Constable – Geelong and Gold Coast
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Jack Buckley – Great Western Sydney
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Isabel Huntington – Western Bulldogs and Great Western Sydney
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Jayden Hunt – Melbourne and West Coast
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Nathan Murphy – Collingwood
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Liam Stocker – Carlton and St.Kilda
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Max King – St.Kilda
Max King is one of the most exciting tall forwards in the AFL today. Standing at more than two metres tall, he forms a crucial part of the young and emerging Saints team. After playing at East Sandy, King joined the Sandringham Dragons where he was selected for Vic Metro as a bottom age player. Since being selected at pick 4 in the 2018 draft, King has established himself as the spearhead most likely to lead St Kilda back into premiership contention. Whilst injuries have limited his output in the past few seasons, King showed his full potential in 2022 when he kicked 52 goals.
Max’s reflections on his time playing for East Sandringham Junior Football Club:
We did our Auskick at East Sandringham with lots of friends from school, and just lived around the corner, so it was a great club to start our junior footy. Our first coach was St Kilda legend Stewy Loewe in the under 9s. I always loved playing finals footy at Zebbies. I was lucky enough to win a premiership in under 14s – a muddy game we played at Cheltenham. In terms of coaches, both Ryan “Rock” Murphy and Tim Marshall were massive influences and really helped shape me as a footballer. Rock was a great motivator!! My message to the young Zebbies today is simple – enjoy your footy!! I’m still good mates with a lot of guys who I played with as a junior so make sure you have lots of fun and enjoy running around with your mates
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Ben King – Gold Coast
The sixth pick in the 2018 draft, Ben King has today one of the premier forwards in the AFL competition. After a junior career at East Sandy, King moved to Sandringham Dragons in TAC and was selected for Victoria Metro in his top age year. He was subsequently named the All-Australian full forward for his performances during the championships. Taken at pick 6 in the 2018 draft by Gold Coast, King has become the key target in a rapidly emerging Suns forward line. In 2024, he enjoyed his best season kicking 55 goals for the Suns – the second-best in a season by a Suns player.
Ben’s reflections on his time playing for East Sandringham Junior Football Club:
Lots of our close friends from school were playing at Easy Sandy and it was 5 minutes from our house, so it was the obvious choice for us! My earliest memory was playing under 9s and then playing under 10s straight after. Then we would hang around watching the older boys and eat hot dogs. I really enjoyed playing in the Lightning Premiership which was a round robin they used to run. We played the whole finals series on the same day and it was great fun. Ryan “ Rock” Murphy was a really memorable and influential coach for a lot of us. He was tough but also great fun and taught us lots about football as well as life. My advice to the youngsters playing for the Zebbies today is have as much fun as you can. If you’re having fun with your mates, then you will get the most out of your football. My best memories are still playing junior footy so just try and soak it all in!
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Louis Butler – Western Bulldogs
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Tom Wilson – Collingwood
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Xavier Richards – Sydney Swans
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Isabella (Bella) Eddey – North Melbourne
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Archie Perkins – Essendon
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In just three seasons of AFLW, Hawthorn’s Bridie Hipwell has emerged as a very talented and athletic small forward. Hipwell was renowned for her versatility and ball-winning ability whilst playing for the Sandringham Dragons in the NAB League. She was drafted at pick 10 in the 2022 draft, she has played 27 games in her first three seasons. With a reputation for her forward pressure, Hipwell had a breakout performance in the 2024 season with a 14 disposal and 2 goal game against the Giants. She has recently signed a contract extension with Hawthorn until 2027
Bridie’s reflections on her time playing for Sandringham East Junior Football Club:
I started playing footy at the Zebbies because my older brother Darby played there and it was also my local team. My earliest memory was our very first win, which was also our first game ever. I just remember having so much fun and thinking why hadn’t I started playing footy years ago. But my fondest memory was when we won our first grand final. This was in our second year of playing. We ended up going back to back again the next year which was awesome. My first coach was actually my dad Greg. He had a big influence on my football career and encouraged me to start a team. He loved it as much as I did and put his hand up to coach us. He also has spent so much time working on my kicking with me and helping me improve my skills. The last coach I had at Zebbies was Sean Lynch. He was so passionate and really pushed me to be the best player I could be as I got older and was influential in me making the Sandy Dragons and other representative teams. My message to young Zebbie today is to keep having fun – you play your best footy when you’re enjoying it and have a smile on your face.
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Keely Coyne – Western Bulldogs and Hawthorn
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Matthew Dennis – Hawthorn
1997 pick 42
5 games, 0 goals
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Shane Grambeau, St Kilda and Melbourne, AFL
Shane Grambeau was recruited to St Kilda as an underage player from East Sandringham. He debuted as ruckman with the Saints in 1971 at just 18 years of age. After 51 games over five seasons at Moorabbin, including three finals, Shane was sent to Melbourne as part of an exchange for Carl Ditterich. He enjoyed the best form of his career playing as a defender with the Demons, and matched up against some of the star VFL players of the era including Peter Hudson, Kelvin Templeton, Bernie Quinlan and Phil Carman. Shane’s best season was 1977 when he finished runner up in the Demons best and fairest to the legendary Robbie Flower. Sadly, injuries brought an end to Shane’s VFL career in 1979.
Shane’s reflections on his time playing for East Sandringham Junior Football Club:
I started at East Sandringham in under 13s. Reg Parker was my first coach and he came with a wealth of knowledge after a great career with Sandringham in the VFA. Stephen Rae (who played 75 AFL games for St Kilda and Richmond) was our captain and was probably one of the best junior footballers of his time. East Sandringham has always produced some very good players and it was a breeding ground for St Kilda in those days. We had a very good team that first year, but were the second best side behind Oakleigh. They beat us comfortably three times that season, including in the second semi-final, so we had some work to do if we were going to win the grand final. We started underdogs, but we played the game of our lives and went on to win the premiership. That’s still a great memory. In addition to Reg Parker, we were also coached in those years by former St Kilda player Ian Cooper and then Reg Rodgers – both men had a major influence on us too. A few seasons later, my time at East Sandringham was cut short during my first year of under 17’s. It was actually at half time of pre-season practice game – Stephen Rae and I were asked to come off by St Kilda scouts who then asked us to come up and play in the main practice game at Moorabbin with the Saints. Our next big step up was underway! My advice to the young players at East Sandringham today is to listen to your coach and your parents and always train hard, eat well, sleep well and be kind to yourself. There will always be good days and bad days in footy, so never give up, and if you get beaten one day, get up and go again the next. I wish good luck to everybody at East Sandringham and thank you for giving me my chance to play football.
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Stephen Rae (St Kilda and Richmond)Career game: 75Career goals: 49
Honours: Premiership 1973.
Stephen represented East Sandringham Juniors between 1964-67 before being scouted by St.Kilda. In 1968 he joined the St Kilda Thirds playing 16 games, kicking 13 Goals and winning the Best & Fairest. Stephen was a half-forward-flanker who played some very consistent football for St.Kilda and then later at Richmond. He was renowned for a good turn of speed, being very elusive and having plenty of courage. In 1973 fortune favoured Stephen when he crossed to Richmond and became a member of the 1973 Premiership side. Unfortunately a serious knee injury in the middle of the 1974 season cut a promising career short.
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Dale Evans – St.Kilda
Dale was just 15 years of age when St Kilda recruiter Ken Walker invited him down to Moorabbin to join in pre-season training in 1976. And he was still only 17 when he made his senior debut against North Melbourne. He joined a St Kilda team that featured stars of the era including Trevor Barker, Barry Breen and Cowboy Neale. Standing tall at 191cm, Dale was a strong mark and played mostly in key position roles. In his three seasons with the Saints, he played 19 games and kicked 4 goals. After finishing up at St Kilda, he went on to play in the VFA with Camberwell.
Dale’s reflections on his time playing for East Sandringham Junior Football Club:
My first involvement at East Sandringham was actually as the boundary umpire for my brothers under 13 side way back in 1970. I didn’t start playing in the under 13s myself until the following year. I was so happy to be playing football and in my team was Scott Howell who would later go to Carlton under the father/son rule and become a member of their 1981 premiership side. I also played alongside John Favier who went on to play at St Kilda. In 1973, we played in a premiership together in the under 13s for coach Wally Bencraft. I had lots of other great coaches too, and all were influential in some way in helping to form my career – Roy Isles (u13’s), Norm Francis (u13’s) and John Solomon (u15s). The best part about playing for East Sandringham Boys Club, as it was known back then, was just the great mateship we all had. I can remember the old club rooms were just a weatherboard structure, but it was a fantastic family atmosphere around the place. My family were very entrenched in the club – Mum was president of the ladies auxiliary for a few years and Dad was either team manager or trainer or on the committee or taxi driver for the away games. Both my parents were later made life members of the club. My message to the young players at the club today is to be dedicated, listen to your coaches and learn from them.
League Awards
From 2015
2015
U12 South Leo John Patrick Read 22 Votes
U13 Div 1 Will Murray 17 Votes / Darby Hipwell Runner Up 15 votes
2016
U12 Div 3 Elliot Perkins Joint Winner 18 votes
U14 Div 1 Darby Hipwell 25 votes
U17 Div 2 Thomas Marron 13 votes (Hampton Rovers joint team)
2017
U11 Div 4 Christopher Kellaway 18 votes
2018
U11 Mixed Blue Dougal McCartney 18 votes
U13 Mixed Div 1 Benjamin Antonis 15 votes
U15 Boys Div 4 Max Walstab 22 Votes
U16 Boys Div 1 Joshua Duscher 17 votes (Equal first)
2019
U14 Mixed Div 1 Benjamin Antonis
U16 Girls Div 3 Jessica Rolleman
2022
U11 Mixed Div 3 Harry Hopgood 17 votes (Equal first)
U11 Mixed Div 7 Henry Feast 14 votes
U13 Girls Div 1 Isla Mattsson 14 votes
U15 Boys Div 3 Harry Block 19 votes (East Sandringham Rovers)
2023
U11 Mixed Div 1 Buck Spencer 17 votes / William Henebery 16 votes (Runner up)
U13 Mixed Div 4 Charles Burns 14 votes
U14 Girls Div 2 Isla Mattsson 29 votes
2024
U11 Mixed Div 1 Koby Lynch
U12 Mixed Div 1 Buck Spencer
U15 Girls Div 1 Isla Mattsson
Pre 2015 Coming Soon