Two Mid West greats to be immortalised in hall of fame at 50th Geraldton Guardian Mid West Sports Awards

Boasting Olympic, Commonwealth and AFL premiership medals between them, the Mid West’s two new inductees into the local sporting hall of fame will join an elite club that has only 10 other members. After a five-year hiatus of no new inductees, the Mid West Sports Federation will welcome the new hall of fame members in what will be a high point in the 50th celebration of the Geraldton Guardian Mid West Sport Awards next weekend. Olympian hockey player Fergus Kavanagh and AFL great Harry Taylor will both be inducted at the awards night next Saturday to become just the 11th and 12th members of the Mid West hall of fame. Both have extensive lists of accomplishments and represented their sport at the highest level. Current hall of famer and bowls legend Lee Poletti said they were both worthy additions to the storied group. “I think they absolutely deserve it; they’ve played at the highest level and are great inclusions,” she said. Poletti perhaps has had one of the longest careers of anyone on the list, still playing and representing the State in her 60s. “It’s been part of my life for the last 40 years. I’ve been out for the last six weeks with plantar fasciitis, which is one the longest breaks I’ve had from bowls,” she said. “Bowls is one of those games you can play until you’re 80, so I’ll still keep going if I can. “Being in the hall of fame is one of my greatest honours and I hope to be there for the 50th celebrations next weekend.” Fellow hall of famer Darren Patten agreed with the sentiment. “Fergus used to play a bit of tennis and I think he was a ball boy when I was playing at an Easter carnival ... goes to show how old I am,” he joked. “They’re both fabulous inductees. Fergus was a brilliant hockey player for Australia and everyone knows Harry’s exploits on the footy field.” Taylor was drafted to Geelong with pick 17 in the 2007 AFL draft and went on to become a club stalwart, making 280 appearances for the Cats including four grand finals, with wins in 2009 and 2011. His connection to the club is still strong after taking a role in its football department in late 2021 after a short stint as operations manager of the GNFL. He was a crucial part of the set-up that helped the Cats win this year’s premiership. He has also continued to support local talent over the journey, playing for the Rams when he can and most recently taking draft prospect Jed Hagan under his wing. Kavanagh has his own storied CV, playing 231 games for the Kookaburras, including at Olympics and world championships. He is a two-time World Cup and Commonwealth Games champion and won bronze at the Beijing and London olympics in 2008 and 2012. He retired from international duties in 2016 at the age of 31 after Australia’s exit at the quarter-final stage of the Rio Olympics — the same year he was named Hockey Australia’s Player of the Year. He now plies his trade in the Netherlands, playing and coaching for Amsterdam in the Dutch league. Inductees to the Mid West hall of fame are vetted through an independent judging panel. “We don’t do this very often, with our last inductee being Anthony Little in 2017,” federation board member Adam Murszewski said. “Celebrating 50 years of the awards this year, it’s the perfect time to double down and recognise two more inductees. “Most people involved in sport will remember Harry and Fergus as outstanding juniors who dominated locally and went on to achieve great things at the highest level in their respective sports.” Taylor will be making the trip back to accept the honour on the night, while Kavanagh will be unable to attend. “Taylor’s loyalty to the Mid West has been incredible over the years and he puts so much back into this community whenever he can,” Murszewski said. “Unfortunately for us, Fergus now lives in Amsterdam and is still busy playing and coaching over there but we will find other ways to connect with him on the night.” Kavanagh will be the first hockey player recognised in the hall of fame, while Taylor will be the third footballer after Chris Mainwaring and Murray Wrensted. Their induction will mean 10 sports will be recognised in the hall of fame — a diverse representation which the federation is proud of. “We excel in footy and that gets a lot of profile, but our origins and key successes over the years have been across numerous sports,” Murszewski said. “It’s a real credit to those behind the scenes that have built such strength throughout our sporting community, and the number of high achievers from this region is increasing rapidly.” The federation has hinted it won’t take another five years until more sporting heroes are inducted. “We expect our hall of fame to grow quite quickly over the next few years,” Murszewski said. Tickets for the Saturday, November 26 event are still on sale and available through the Mid Wests Sports Federation website. BREAKOUTS Fergus Kavanagh Career 231 games played for Australia International debut: May 5, 2007 (Australia 1–0 India at Azlan Shah Cup) Last international: August 14, 2016 (Australia 0–4 Netherlands at Rio Olympic Games) Hockey Australia’s Player of the Year - 2016 Olympic Games Bronze Medal: 2008 Beijing Bronze Medal: 2012 London World Cups Gold Medal: 2010 Delhi Gold Medal: 2014 The Hague Champions Trophy Gold Medal: 2008 Rotterdam Gold Medal: 2009 Melbourne Gold Medal: 2010 Monchengladbach Gold Medal: 2011 Auckland Gold Medal: 2012 Melbourne Bronze Medal: 2014 Bhubaneswar Commonwealth Games Gold Medal: 2010 Delhi Gold Medal: 2014 Glasgow Harry Taylor 280 AFL games 75 AFL goals Recruited From: Northampton/East Fremantle Pick 17 in the 2007 draft AFL debut: Geelong V Essendon, Round 2, 2008 AFL Grand Finals: 2008, 2009, 2011, 2020 AFL Premierships: 2009, 2011 All-Australian team: 2010, 2013 Finals played: 31 (fourth-most by any VFL/AFL player) Jim Stynes Medal: 2015 Last AFL game: Grand Final 2020 v Richmond Mid West Sports Federation Hall of Fame 1998: Karen Perham (nee Jupp) - Badminton 1999: Chris Mainwaring (Dec.) – Football 2001: Ryan Green – Water Skiing 2003: Salli Wills – Gymnastics 2004: Dennis Marsden – Rifle Shooting 2006: Darren Patten – Tennis 2009: Murray Wrensted – Football 2013: Ben Pepper – Basketball 2014: Lee Poletti – Lawn Bowls 2017: Anthony Little – Boxing