Olympic legacy in its greatest form underpins the latest nine hockey royalty inducted into Hockey Australia’s Hall of Fame.
Casey Sablowski (nee Eastham), Madonna Blyth, Julie Richardson, Bevan George, Mark Knowles, Liam de Young and Matthew Wells have all been inducted for their incredible careers representing Australian hockey at the highest level.
Combined, the 2024 athlete inductees have all represented Australia at the Olympics 19 times, including a quadruple Olympian and four triple-Olympians in a line-up that represents one of the Hockeyroos and Kookaburras most decorated eras.
Four Kookaburras teammates, George, Knowles, de Young and Wells have been named alongside each other 20 years on from their history-making gold medal performance at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
Honoured in the General Category, three-time Olympic Kookaburras and Hockeyroos Coach, Frank Murray and four-time Olympic international Umpire, Murray Grime have been recognised for their considerable contribution to the game at the top level.
Legendary status has been bestowed upon one of our great Hockeyroos captains Dianne Gorman. Dianne was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008 and has reached the status in recognition of her inspiring and motivating work on and off the field since her debut as a 20-year-old in 1973.
“It’s fitting in an Olympic year to acknowledge and reflect on some of the greatest Olympians who have left a remarkable legacy in our sport. I would like to congratulate each of these world-class heroes on their honour,” said Hockey Australia President Ross Sudano.
“I would also like to acknowledge Dianne Gorman who was recognised as a Legend of our game. Legendary status recognises character, reputation and sportsmanship and as one of our great Hockeyroos captains, Di epitomises these values tremendously.”
Three-time Olympic medallist Mark Knowles said he reflected on his career and felt a moment of pride when he received the call and learned of his honour from the Director of the Board.
“For me, this one’s right up there. In a sport that I love, a sport that my family loves and plays and one I’m still so passionately involved in. It puts me in a group of very, very amazing people. It’s such a special part in my journey, either as people I looked up to or as people who I played with or watched so they’re pretty awesome.
“You don’t win any Man of the Matches or Player of the Tournaments or anything like that when you’re retired, so this is as good as it gets!”
Telling his kids was a highlight, as he concedes they may finally understand what Dad achieved as an athlete playing for Australia.
“They were crazy because it’s my first time being inducted into a Hall of Fame… Their reflection of the Hall of Fame is American sports and other people they see on YouTube rather than hockey players in Australia,” he laughed.
“They put on the Hall of Fame song which must be a good interesting young kids song. They danced around and they were pretty stoked so that was really nice.”
The latest addition of inductees takes the total number in the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame to 107 since its inception in 2008.
The Hall of Fame sits among the inventory of Hockey Australia Awards that includes Legends, Life Members, Award of Merit and Award of Distinction.
Hockey Australia Hall of Fame – 2024 Inductees
2024 Legend
Dianne Gorman (nee Dowd) (NSW)
Dianne is known as one of the great players and leaders of the women’s game. Making her debut as a 20-year-old in August 1973 against England in London. Di had impressed selectors after an incredible run that saw her make every NSW state team for nine years between 1972 and 1981.
On the pitch, Di was a brilliant attacking centre halfback and a leader both on and off the field. Appointed captain in 1979, she led the team until 1981 including being named captain of the inaugural Olympics in 1980 when women’s hockey was on debut. Unfortunately, Di could never see out the Olympic honour after Australia boycotted the Moscow Games. However, one of the greatest honours came in 1979 when she captained the International Federations of Women’s Hockey Association team in Scotland, celebrating 100 years of hockey in Great Britain.
Di retired after captaining the Australian team at the World Cup in Argentina in 1981 having played 47 international matches, which was an impressive feat given how few international matches women played at the time. Following her great career, Di was awarded an Order of Australia medal in 1986 for Services to Hockey before being inducted into the Hockey NSW Hall of Champions in 2007, the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Hockey Australia Hall of Fame in 2008. Her legacy lives on at the sports oval in Shellharbour, which is fondly named the Dianne Gorman Oval.
Athlete Category
Casey Sablowski (nee Eastham) (NSW)
Casey had an outstanding career with the Hockeyroos, playing an impressive 258 international matches over a career that spanned 11 years. Making her debut against Argentina in Maryland, USA in August 2006, the three-time Olympian excelled as a brilliant midfielder and made her Olympic debut just two years later in 2008. Following the Beijing Olympics, Casey was named FIH Rising Star in 2009 for the best young player in the world.
Promoted to vice-captain for the next two Olympics in 2012 and 2016, Casey also led the team through two World Cups in 2010 and 2014 as vice-captain and was selected for two Commonwealth Games teams during her tenure. Casey represented the Hockeyroos with distinction throughout her long playing career.
Madonna Blyth (QLD)
Madonna was a world-class midfielder with the Hockeyroos and her tireless work set a high standard during her history making 342 international matches for Australia, in which she scored 69 goals. Madonna set the record for the most international caps playing for the Hockeyroos and that record still stands today.
Madonna became a triple Olympian in her 13-year career, representing Australia at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. She captained the Hockeyroos for several years, including at the London Olympics in 2012 and the Rio Games in 2016. She was selected in three World Cup teams, two as captain, and went on to win a silver medal in Madrid in 2006. In the same year, Madonna was selected for her first Commonwealth Games team in Melbourne in 2006 before going on to win gold in every Commonwealth Games she attended (2006, 2010 & 2014).
Julie Richardson (NSW)
A brilliant striker and consistent goal scorer, Julie accelerated onto the world stage within a year of making her debut and made the all-conquering Hockeyroos team for the World Cup in 1998 with only 18 internationals under her belt. The Hockeyroos continued their dominance, winning the gold medal in Holland. Just two years later, Julie broke into a star-studded Hockeyroos forward line to make her Olympic debut in Sydney, where she would go on to claim a historic gold medal in front of her home crowd in New South Wales.
Julie went on to play 183 internationals and score 64 goals in a career that also featured a World Cup in Perth and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002.
Bevan George (WA)
Bevan finished up an outstanding career for the Kookaburras as a double Olympian, Olympic gold medallist and double Commonwealth Games gold medallist, having won gold at the Athens Olympics in 2004. Bevan went on to captain the Kookaburras at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, capping an illustrious career that spanned 208 internationals for Australia.
After making his international debut against Germany in Darwin in 1999, Bevan very quickly established himself as an outstanding fullback with immense power. He also played in two World Cup teams, winning silver at both events in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 and Monchengladbach, Germany in 2006, where he was the co-captain with Jamie Dwyer.
Bevan was inducted into the WA Sport of Champions in 2018 and into the Hockey WA Hall of Champions in 2022.
Mark Knowles (QLD)
Mark Knowles is a well-known great of the Game, having notched an impressive 324 internationals before announcing his retirement from the Kookaburras after an outstanding 15-year career. His presence on and off the field was a standout right from the moment he debuted in January 2004 against Korea in Kuala Lumpur. So much so, after having played only 31 internationals for Australia, Mark was selected for his Olympic debut in Athens in 2004. He went on to achieve greatness with the Kookaburras, winning their only Olympic gold medal.
It didn’t end there. Mark went on to become a four-time Olympian, winning bronze at both the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, before playing at his last Games in 2016. As co-captain at the London Olympics in 2012, Mark celebrated his 200th appearance in green and gold, before going on to captain the side to a gold medal at the World Cup in 2014. He also claimed World Cup silver in 2006 and gold in 2010.
A steady figure in the Kookaburras’ golden run of success, Mark also became a four-time Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018, with one of his career highlights carrying the Australian flag as flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony at the Commonwealth Games in his home state on the Gold Coast.
Off the pitch, Mark went from Queensland hockey Rookie of the Year in 2002 to Player of the Year in 2007, 2011, 2013, 2014 and 2017. Most recently, Mark extended his Olympic legacy as Deputy Chef de Mission at the Paris Olympic Games.
Liam De Young (QLD)
In a lengthy career spanning 312 international matches, Liam’s known as the ultimate team player who fulfilled many roles over his illustrious career. Highlighted by Olympic gold in Athens in 2004, Liam is a three-time Olympic medallist, having won bronze at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and perfecting his Olympic record with a medal every Games.
Liam’s career started against Belgium in 2001 and his impressive first six international matches saw him selected for the 2002 World Cup team where they went on to win silver. He went on to play at four World Cups, again winning a medal at every tournament with silver in 2006 and double gold in 2010 and 2014.
His winning run at major events continued through the Commonwealth Games, where he won gold at all four Commonwealth Games during his career in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014. It’s a medal record unrivalled by many athletes in Australian sport, a simply outstanding feat.
Liam won the Hec Cormie Bursary in 2000 and was selected in the Queensland team of the decade twice (1996 – 2005 & 2006 – 2015). His peers also voted him into the Queensland 100-year team from 1921 – 2021. In 2020 he was inducted into the Queensland Hall of Fame.
Matthew Wells (TAS)
A triple-Olympian, Matthew Wells was also part of the historic gold medal-winning Kookaburras side which broke the golden Olympic hoodoo. During his 11-year career, Matthew starred as a high-quality athletic fullback, playing 242 internationals for Australia during the Kookaburras unstoppable reign.
Three years after making his debut against the Netherlands in Perth in 1998, Matt became the first Tasmanian to captain an Australian hockey team in 2001 and 2003 and during that time, he was named 2002 Australian Hockey Player of the Year. After winning Bronze at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, Matt went on to vice-captain the side to that memorable gold medal in Athens, before winning bronze as a key leader in 2008.
Matthew won silver at the World Cup in Kuala Lumpur in 2002 before injury robbed him of further World Cup success. He also won double gold at the Commonwealth Games in 2002 and 2006. In a career that can only be described as highly successful, Matthew retired from international hockey following the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as one of the very few Kookaburras to have won an Olympic medal at every Olympics he competed at.
In 2005, Matthew was awarded the Medal of The Order of Australia for services to sport. In 2012, Matthew was inducted into the Tasmanian Sporting Hall of Fame.
General Category
Frank Murray (WA) – Coaching
Frank was an immense coaching influence for both the Kookaburras and the Hockeyroos. His time at the top of Australian hockey coaching started in 1988 when he succeeded Richard Aggiss as Kookaburras coach following the Seoul Olympics. He left his successful tenure with the University Hockey Club in Perth, and his impressive record as coach of the WA State team, where he won five out of six National Championships between 1981 and 1986, to take on the top job.
Frank coached the Kookaburras for 214 international matches between 1989 and 1996, including two Olympic Games, where they won silver in Barcelona in 1992 and bronze in Atlanta in 1996. The Kookaburras under his reign also won two World Cup bronze in 1990 and 1994 before he retired from the role in 1996 after the Olympic Games.
His coaching record for Australia doesn’t end there. Frank returned in 2005 when he was appointed head coach of the Hockeyroos. He went on to coach a further 192 internationals with the women’s side, including his third Olympic Games as coach in 2008 in Beijing and two World Cups, with the most successful coming in Madrid when they won silver. His impressive coaching run finished in 2010 after the World Cup in Chile.
Murray Grime (WA) – Umpiring
Murray finished his career as the highest-capped international umpire for Australia in 2018, having officiated 215 international matches since his debut in Malaysia in 1993. During his career, Murray umpired at four Olympic Games in 2000, 2004, 2008 & 2016, and two World Cups in 2002 and 2006.
Murray was awarded the Golden Whistle after his 100th international and in October 2016, Murray joined the elite group of just five international umpires who had umpired 200 international matches. He joined Alain Renaud, Santo Deo, John Wright and Marelizr de Klerk, who are all well-respected and renowned umpires. Following his achievement Murray received a special award from FIH in appreciation.
As well as his impressive international umpiring record, Murray also contributed greatly to the game in WA. He umpired many A-grade hockey matches in Perth, as well as National Championships and National League matches across Australia and he toured with the AIS team. His incredible record speaks for itself.
