A woman alleges that AFL great Nicky Winmar dragged her by the hair, smashed her head against a door, and spat in her face during a terrifying incident in northern Victoria. The 60-year-old former St Kilda star faces four assault charges in a contested hearing at Bendigo Magistrates Court.
Details of the Alleged Assault
Police claim the attack occurred on May 14, 2025, in Cohuna. The woman, whose identity is protected, testified that Winmar suddenly became enraged that evening, yelling incoherently without prior argument. “Just complete ranting and screaming at me – none of it made sense,” she told the court. “I was in absolute shock.”
She described Winmar grabbing her arm, twisting it forcefully, then pulling her ponytail to drag her into another room. He allegedly pushed her against a wall, yelled, spat in her face, turned off the light, and blocked her exit. “He physically overpowered me so I couldn’t get out. He knew I was scared,” the woman stated.
After releasing her, she grabbed her phone, but Winmar took it. He returned it only after she mentioned calling a friend rather than police. She spoke briefly to the friend, handed back the phone, and fled the room. Winmar then chased her, seized her head, and repeatedly bashed it into a wooden door, she claimed. “I was getting dizzy, it was incredibly painful,” she recounted.
The woman broke free, locked herself in a room, and dialed triple zero. “I was petrified he was going to do more things to me. I was actually fearful for my life,” she said in evidence.
Court Evidence and Cross-Examination
The court heard the triple-zero call and viewed body-worn camera footage from responding officers. A photo showed bruising above her right elbow.
Under cross-examination by Winmar’s barrister Dermot Dann KC, the woman admitted she did not detail the dragging or spitting to the call taker or first officer. “I didn’t do that deliberately,” she explained. “I didn’t want to relive it again because I had been sitting in that room absolutely broken by what had just happened.”
The hearing continues on Tuesday.
Winmar’s AFL Legacy
Winmar made history as the first Aboriginal player to reach 200 AFL games, totaling 230 with St Kilda and 21 with the Western Bulldogs. He iconically protested racism in 1993 by lifting his jumper and pointing to his skin before a hostile Collingwood crowd. Currently, he co-leads a racism class action against the AFL in the Victorian Supreme Court.
