What Jaiden Fidge did to a 14-year-old girl at a party in regional Victoria is so sickening it has left the victim with lifelong scars, both mental and physical.
The twisted nature of the crime against the Year 8 student — who had been “lured to the backyard” at a party on Victoria’s Surf Coast — was read out in graphic detail in a Geelong courtroom in March for all to hear.
There was no mistaking what the 24-year-old had done. It was calculated and callous and compounded by the fact that while he was carrying out his sex crime against the teen, another grown man joined in.
Having left her in the dark, on her own, now a victim of a horrifying encounter with two strange men, Fidge returned to the party where he boasted to friends that he had “put (the victim) on a spit”.
So it boggles the mind that there would be support for Fidge after he was convicted.
But not only was there support, it came in the form of a letter sent on an official AFL letterhead.
News.com.au can exclusively reveal that two months after Jana Anderson wrote the character reference for Fidge, she “no longer works for the AFL”.
A spokesperson would not elaborate on the circumstances regarding her departure.
Ms Anderson’s LinkedIn bio still describes her as “competition and participation manager at AFL”.
Multiple attempts to reach Ms Anderson for comment were unsuccessful.
Fidge was jailed in March for four years and nine months with a non-parole period of three years. He will have his name on the sex offender register for 15 years.
For the first time, news.com.au can reveal exactly what Ms Anderson wrote in her character reference for the convicted child sex offender — one that AFL Queensland did not know she was writing.
“My name is Jana Anderson and I am the Regional Lead – Central Queensland with AFL Queensland,” she begins.
“I provide this character reference for Mr Jaiden Fidge, who I have come to know through my professional role, particularly in his capacity as Captain of the University Cougars during the 2025 season.”
What Ms Anderson’s letter does not state explicitly is that the 2025 season she refers to came a year after Fidge was charged with sexual penetration of a child under 16. He would plead guilty in early 2026.
The Toowoomba-based club, which he captained, was unaware of the charges he was facing.
Nevertheless, Ms Anderson had only lovely things to say about the 24-year-old after he was convicted.
“Within football, Jaiden has consistently demonstrated strong leadership and professionalism,” she wrote, noting that he was “recognised as the League Senior Men’s Best and Fairest winner in 2025” and that “umpiring feedback regarding Jaiden has been consistently positive”.
“Jaiden holds himself and those around him to a high standard and contributes to a team environment that prioritises respectful behaviour and accountability,” Ms Anderson wrote.
The letter also revealed that the convicted predator had been providing “support to younger players at his club” and “encouraging good standards around training, preparation, and behaviour”.
Ms Anderson suggested that Fidge could “continue making positive contributions to his community, particularly through sport”. But a spokesperson for the AFL said that if AFLQ had known about his charges, he would have been deregistered and banned from playing.
The spokesperson also said the organisation would “not have approved (a character reference) being provided”.
It makes for difficult reading for the victim, a teenager who has “nightmares” and “wakes up crying”.
News.com.au previously reported the teen shared a victim impact statement with the court at the sentencing for Fidge and his co-offender Riley Smith.
“I feel shame and guilt that lingers over me,” she wrote.
“I feel guilty for my family that had to hear the story. I feel dirty, insecure, ashamed and embarrassed of my self worth, image and myself in general.”
She wrote that she had engaged in self-harming and been left with what she calls “hideous scars”.
Her father wrote that his outlook on life has changed forever.
“I spend much of my time riddled with guilt for failing to keep my daughter safe. This happened on my watch. I try to tell myself she should have been safe. I felt like I lost my girl that day.”
‘Blindsided’: Award night photos hide shocking truth
Jaiden Fidge met Riley Smith, 26, through an AFL group chat. They lived in different states — Smith in North Albury, Victoria and Fidge in Toowoomba, Queensland.
But in February 2024, they both travelled to Victoria’s Surf Coast for a 21st birthday after being invited by another member of the group chat.
Smith was the first to introduce himself to the victim. He asked how old she was and she told him plainly that she was 14. She asked his age and he replied that he was 17.
“This was clearly untrue,” Judge Gerard Mullaly told the court in March.
“You were 24 years old, significantly older than the victim.”
Later that night, fully aware of the girl’s age, Fidge “lured the victim to the backyard, away from a shed where the party was being held”.
“You, Mr Fidge, began to kiss the victim at which time you, Mr Smith, came up from behind and pulled down her pants and underwear.”
In her confusion, the girl turned her phone torch on and was told by the men “turn your light off”.
The court heard that Fidge penetrated the girl from behind while “at the same time” Smith “put his penis in the victim’s mouth”.
Once done, the men went back to the party where they boasted to others. Judge Mullaly said it was important that the words the men used were disclosed to the court.
“You, Mr Fidge, boasted to other members of the party that you and Mr Smith had ‘put the victim on a spit’. You made the same comment again at a later point,” Judge Mullaly said.
“I have thought carefully about repeating the disgusting words you triumphantly used to describe what you had done. They are degrading to the victim.
“But I have decided to use the abhorrent words you used because they graphically give insight into your depraved thinking about the victim and indeed how you see and give little value to the dignity and autonomy of women.
“These were the words that described the victim as an object with little or no value other than the joint depraved sexual gratification of you and the co-accused.”
The court heard that Smith contacted the victim later in the evening via Snapchat after her aunt had put her to bed, requesting that she meet him outside.
When she did, he again pulled down her pants and penetrated her, the court heard.
Smith was jailed for five years and 11 months with a non-parole period of three years and 10 months. His name will be added to the sex offender register for 15 years.
But almost two-and-a-half years on from his crimes, the North Albury Football Netball Club where he played and won the Most Courageous Player in 2025 has just recently removed images of him from its Facebook page.
The pictures were still there last week when news.com.au reached out to the club and have since been deleted.
Some still remain, including two pictures of Smith holding his award on stage from the October 2025 awards night.
In a statement to news.com.au, the club’s vice president said: “The NAFNC had no idea about the allegations against Riley and were as blindsided as everyone when we all found out about the horrific charges earlier this year”.
The vice president continued: “Riley had also indicated to us at the end of last year (2025) that he was not going to continue playing for the NAFNC in 2026”.
The crimes mirror a similar incident from 2016 when local footy players Luke Merryfull and Shaun Bloomfield raped a girl at a 21st party in regional Victoria.
The pair had been drinking when a 20-year-old female known to them headed to a caravan on the property at Balmoral as the party was winding down.
She went there to sleep, but the men followed her. Inside the caravan, Merryfull suggested the trio engage in a threesome. Her reply was a firm no. But they did not listen.
Instead, they raped her — Merryfull first, then Bloomfield.
When Merryfull was done, he told his friend: “She’s all yours now”.
In the County Court of Victoria for the pair’s sentencing, which this reporter attended in 2019, sat dozens of supporters who had travelled from Balmoral as a show of solidarity.
As one local woman told me, there was never any doubt that the men would receive full support.
“In a small community like this, there is a huge bias which has resulted in people taking sides with Bloomfield and Merryfull,” she said.
“They have made up and spread unbelievable gossip about the victim. The supporters of the pair still do not believe that this crime happened. There has been a lot of stupidity, ignorance, emotion and unrelenting denial.
“The family are lovely as is the victim. They have been completely ostracised.”
Speaking to the ABC’s Hometown Boys podcast, which investigated the aftermath of the rape, the victim said her rapists completely dehumanised her.
“I felt like an animal, like I don’t think it would’ve mattered what I said or did. I was not a person to them in that moment,” she said.
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