Woman accuses AFL great Nicky Winmar of “petrifying” assault
Tara Cosoleto
A woman has claimed AFL great Nicky Winmar dragged her by her hair and slammed her head into a door during a “horrific” attack.
The unidentified woman made the accusations in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Monday as Winmar fought four assault charges in a contentious hearing.
Police allege the 60-year-old former St Kilda star attacked the woman at Cohuna in northern Victoria on May 14, 2025.
He told the court that Winmar got unexpectedly angry that evening and started shouting at him.
“Stop yelling and screaming at me; none of this made any sense,” he told the court.
“We didn’t argue or anything like that. I couldn’t figure out what was going on. I was in complete shock.”
The woman claimed Winmar pulled her by her ponytail and dragged her into another room before grabbing her arm and twisting it harshly.
He said Winmar then pushed him against the wall before yelling and spitting in his face.
“He turned off the light and wouldn’t let me go out,” the woman told the court.
“He physically tackled me so I couldn’t get out. He knew I was scared.”
The woman told the court she eventually let him go and ran to grab her mobile phone, but he took it from her.
He returned the phone only after saying he wanted to call a friend instead of the police, the court heard.
The woman said she was talking to her friend before handing the phone to Winmar and running from the room.
He allegedly ran after her and grabbed her head before repeatedly hitting a wooden door.
“I was feeling dizzy, it was incredibly painful,” he told the court.
The woman said she managed to break free and lock herself in a room she called Triple Zero.
“I was very afraid that he would do more things to me,” the woman said in her statement.
“I was actually afraid for my life.”
The Triple Zero call was played to the court along with body-worn camera footage from a police officer who arrived at the scene.
A photograph of the woman’s arm was also shown, showing a bruise above her right elbow.
Under questioning by KC, Winmar’s lawyer, Dermot Dann, the woman accepted that she did not tell the Triple Zero call taker or the assistant police officer exactly what had happened.
He did not explain the allegations that Winmar dragged him or spat in his face.
“I didn’t do this on purpose,” the woman told the court.
“I didn’t want to relive that because I was sitting in that room completely broken by what had just happened.”
The controversial hearing will continue on Tuesday.
Winmar became the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 games in the AFL and finished his career with 230 games for St Kilda and 21 for the Western Bulldogs.
He has battled racism throughout his career, including standing in front of an abusive crowd at Collingwood in 1993, lifting his guernsey and proudly pointing at his skin.
Winmar is also leading the groundbreaking racism class action against the AFL in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
AAP
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