Seven champion players across multiple generations were inducted into the Touch Football Australia (TFA) Hall of Fame (HOF) on Saturday night, honouring their careers and contributions to the sport.
The gala ceremony held in Brisbane also saw the 2024 Ron Hanson Medallists (Australian flagbearers) announced ahead of the Athelite Australian Emus Touch World Cup campaign in July.
The seven HOF inductees are the first new members since 2015, joining 31 other illustrious members, in what is the crowning achievement of an individual’s Touch Football career and the highest level of peer recognition within our sport.
The new inductees are Bo de la Cruz, Drumayne Dayberg-Muir, Amanda Judd, Kristy Judd, Garry Sonda, Gavin Shuker, and Louise Winchester.
Bo de la Cruz
Bo de la Cruz had a remarkable international representative career which began at the inaugural Youth World Cup in 2001. She was a key player in the Australian Women’s Open Team from 2001 to 2010, including being named the Player of the Series in her first World Cup in 2003. Bo was the second Indigenous woman to represent the Emus at Opens level and has 50 international caps. She captained Australian Masters’ Teams in the 2017 Trans-Tasman Test Series and 2019 Touch World Cup.
De la Cruz’s notable history in the game, superior ball skills and attacking ability, as well as her mentoring of the next generation of athletes, with coaching roles in NRLW and Indigenous programs, has seen her honoured with the Bo de la Cruz Medal which is awarded to the Female Player of the Match in the annual Indigenous All Stars Touch Football match.
Drumayne Dayberg-Muir
Widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game, Drumayne has the uncanny ability to score the game-winning or game-breaking try with his trademark step or dive. First representing the Emus at the 2003 World Cup in Japan, Drumayne has 50 international caps.
His leadership skills were also recognised as captain of the Australian Men’s Open Team at the 2010 Trans-Tasman Test Series. Drumayne is held in the highest esteem by his teammates, and his individual and team skills were reflected with him receiving the Australian Men’s Open MVP Award at the 2007 World Cup. He was also the highest try-scorer for his team at this event.
Drumayne is also the first player to surpass 150 tries scored at The Championships (formerly National Touch League) at Opens level.
Amanda Judd
Amanda, along with her twin sister, Kristy, is a role model in Touch Football. She represented Australia in both Mixed Open and Women’s Open teams from 1995 to 2012, attaining 62 caps in her international career. On the field, Amanda was able to create opportunities for herself and others through her outstanding ability to read the game as well as her attacking prowess. She frequently turned lapses in the opposition’s defensive structure into scoring opportunities.
Amanda was highly respected by her teammates and the wider Touch Football community for her leadership, selfless attitude, and support and guidance for others, both on and off the field. These characteristics were recognised when she was commemorated as Australian flagbearer for the 2007 World Cup in South Africa.
Kristy Judd
Kristy was the first player to represent Australia at Opens level to win 5 World Cups (1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, and 2011). No other player has represented Australia in the Open divisions in five consecutive World Cups. Kristy never lost a game at these World Cups and only lost 2 games in the 15 Test matches that she played in between 1997 and 2012.
Kristy attained 69 caps for the Emus during her international Touch Football career, including 45 at World Cups, scoring 34 tries in international games. A strike player, alongside her twin sister Amanda, Kristy was an outstanding competitor with an astute Touch Football brain, who could singlehandedly turn a game through her individual brilliance and ability to read the game.
Kristy’s contribution to the sport, her skills, and her character were recognised when she was named Australian flagbearer for the 2009 Trans-Tasman Test Series in New Zealand.
Gavin Shuker
Gavin began his international representative career in 1998 and currently has 89 international caps across Men’s Open, Mixed Open and Masters divisions. He was the Australian Men’s Open Captain from 2007 to 2010, and his commitment and leadership qualities were reflected by him being named Australian flagbearer for the 2007 World Cup in South Africa.
Gavin currently holds the joint record for the most tries scored in a single World Cup with 36 at the 2011 event. Other notable achievements at World Cups include being the second highest try-scorer of all time and scoring the highest number of tries in one game. He also holds the record for the highest number of tries for Australia at World Cups.
Gavin is credited with changing the men’s game with his inventive set plays and imaginative attack and is widely regarded as one of the smartest tacticians in the game. Gavin will be representing Australia at his seventh World Cup in 2024 in the Men’s 50s division.
Garry Sonda
With 65 Australian caps across Opens and Masters divisions, Garry is one of the most decorated elite representatives. First representing Australia at the 1998 Trans-Tasman Test Series, his prowess over multiple decades is demonstrated by his Men’s Open Player of the Series Award at the 2002 National Touch League (NTL) through to his selection to represent Australia at his fifth World Cup in 2024 in the Men’s 50s division.
Often called the ultimate competitor, he forged his career and won the respect of others with his team-first mentality and willingness to do the tough stuff for his teammates for the entirety of the game. His never-say-die attitude and sheer refusal to back down made him a must in any Trans-Tasman battle.
Garry’s individual and team skills, dedication, and commitment were recognised when he was named Australian flagbearer for the 2007 World Cup in South Africa.
Louise Winchester
Louise was, and still is, an icon of the game. She represented Australia as a junior at the 2001 and 2005 Youth World Cups and subsequently attained 65 international caps at the Women’s Open level during her decorated playing career.
Louise was an outstanding team player and an inspirational leader, both on and off the field. These qualities were recognised through her being named the TFA MVP at the 2007 World Cup, receiving the Players’ Player Awards at the 2013 and 2014 Trans-Tasman Test Series, as well as the NTL Player of the Series in the 2004 Women’s Open division and several NTL Player of the Final Awards. As a player, Louise had a never-give-in attitude, superior ball skills, agility, vision, and an uncanny ability to read the game and make the most of any attacking opportunity that presented itself.
Louise was an exemplary captain of the Australian Women’s Open Team from 2010 to 2015 and her representative history, loyalty, respect, and integrity were recognised with the privilege of being awarded the Ron Hanson Medal for the 2011 World Cup in Scotland as Australian flagbearer.
The evening also saw the 2024 Ron Hanson Medallists (Australian flagbearers) announced ahead of the Touch World Cup which commences in Nottingham, England next month.
The Ron Hanson Medal was introduced by TFA in 2010 to honour Australian flagbearers appointed for Open and Masters international tournaments. Being selected as flagbearer is bestowed on a select few individuals, who display the values required of the honour.
Named after Australia’s first Touch Football captain, Ron Hanson, the selection criteria includes representative history, as well as demonstrating the culture and values of Touch Football Australia’s High Performance Program, such as leadership, loyalty, pride, respect, integrity, humility, and commitment, both on and off the field.
The 2024 Ron Hanson Medallists are: Kelly Kennedy, Troy Morgan, Patricia Michaelopolous, and Phil Gyemore.
Kelly Kennedy (Women’s 35s)
Kelly is one of the very few players to represent Australia at Youth, Opens, and Masters level – which is an outstanding achievement. She represented Australia first as a junior in the 2001 and 2005 Youth World Cups before selection into the Mixed Open Team for the 2007 World Cup, the Women’s Open Team for the 2009 and 2010 Trans-Tasman Test Series, and the 2015 and 2019 World Cup Women’s 27s Teams. With 26 World Cup caps and 8 Test caps, this year will be Kelly’s fourth World Cup.
Troy Morgan (Men’s 50s)
Troy first represented Australia in the 2003 World Cup in the Men’s 30s division, and was subsequently selected for the 2011, 2015, and 2019 World Cups. Troy also represented Australia at the 2005 All Nations event and the 2010, 2013, and 2017 Masters Trans-Tasman Test Series. Troy currently has 36 World Cup and 17 Test Caps, and this will be his fifth World Cup.
Patricia Michaelopolous (Mixed Open)
Patricia first represented Australia in the 18s Mixed Team at the 2009 Youth Trans-Tasman Test Series. She was then selected into the Mixed Open Team for the 2013, 2014, and 2016 Trans-Tasman Test Series and the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. She also represented Australia in the Women’s Open Team for the 2017 Trans-Tasman Test Series. Patricia currently has 20 World Cup and 13 Test Caps, and this will be her third World Cup.
Phil Gyemore (Men’s Open) – Coach
Phil has a remarkable record dating back to the 2002 Trans-Tasman Test Series as a Men’s Open Player. He has since represented Australia at 5 World Cups, 8 Trans-Tasman Tests Series, as well as the 2005 All Nations event, as a player, coach, or assistant coach. He also successfully coached the 20s Boys Teams in the 2011 and 2015 Youth Trans-Tasman Test Series. Phil currently has 47 World Cup and 31 Test Caps, and this will be his sixth World Cup – coaching the Men’s Open side in 2024.
TFA’s most recent Life Member Ken Golden OAM was also formerly recognised at the event.
Previously announced in 2023, Ken is the sixteenth Life Member of TFA, and the first inducted since 2014.
Ken has provided over four decades of dedication to Touch Football. His positions and accolades include Director of Referees with the Australian Defence Force Touch Association, recipient of the Australian Sports Medal by Her Majesty the Queen in 2000, Referee Coach with the FIT Referee Commission, and the inaugural recipient of the ‘Touch Football Australia Volunteer Medal’ in 2016.
Ken remains heavily involved in delivering education and training across the nation both in-person and digitally, working with TFA Alliance States to deliver coaching advice, discussions, and development plans.
