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:
AFL / VFL / AFLW
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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
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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
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Ben King – Gold Coast
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Louis Butler – Western Bulldogs
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Tom Wilson – Collingwood
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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
League Awards
Coming soon