The Bendigo Pioneers is an Australian rules football team in the statewide Victorian under-18s league, the NAB League.
Synopsis[]
Bendigo Pioneers is an Australian rules football team playing in NAB League since 1993 based in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. The idea behind the Bendigo Pioneers is to train its players and condition them for professional football. The team is divided into under-15s, under-16s, and under-18s. The Pioneers train at Epsom/Huntly Oval, Epsom. Their jersey colors are blue, white and yellow with blue, white and yellow socks and blue (home) or white (away) shorts. They are within the largest region, from Bendigo to Broken Hill, therefore having the largest area to recruit from.
Notable players and coaches[]
Some notable players from the Bendigo Pioneers are record holders for most games played and most goals scored within the team, which are David Favelaiki and Stephen Reaper. Favelaiki played a record 49 games with the Pioneers, and Reaper scored 132 goals.
Grand Finals[]
| Season | Premiers | GF Score | Runner-up | Best-on-ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Calder Cannons | 16.14 (110) – 10.13 (73) | Bendigo Pioneers | Jordan Barham |
Draftees[]
Many notable players in the Australian Football League have been recruited from Bendigo. These players include:
- 1993: Rowan Warfe, Ashley Thompson
- 1994: N/A
- 1995: Nick Carter, Brent Frewen
- 1996: Nathan Brown, Damien Lock, Michael Braun
- 1997: Mark Alvey, Matt Blake, Jordan Doering, Paul McMahon, Dean Solomon, Chris Tarrant, Nathan Thompson
- 1998: Michael O'Brien
- 1999: Brent Guerra, Kane Munro
- 2000: Daniel Harris, Luke Livingston, Josh Hunt, Callan Beasy
- 2001: Nick Dal Santo, Daniel Elstone, Hugh Foote, Rick Ladson, Ashley Watson
- 2002: Adam Selwood, Josh Thewlis, Troy Selwood
- 2003: Andrew Walker, Colin Sylvia
- 2004: N/A
- 2005: Travis Baird
- 2006: Joel Selwood, Daniel Connors, Andrew Collins
- 2007: Eljay Connors, Scott Selwood, Robbie Tarrant, Toby Thoolen
- 2008: N/A
- 2009: Dustin Martin, Jordan Williams
- 2010: Ariel Steinberg
- 2011: Sam Kerridge
- 2012: Jake Stringer, Ollie Wines
- 2013: N/A
- 2014: Billy Evans, Jaden McGrath
- 2015: Tom Cole, Aidyn Johnson
- 2016: Joe Atley, Kobe Mutch, Kayle Kirby, Fergus Greene
- 2017: Paddy Dow, Lochie O'Brien, Jarrod Brander, Brent Daniels, Kane Farrell, Angus Schumacher, Derek Eggmolesse-Smith
- 2018: Jye Caldwell