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A woman has alleged AFL great Nicky Winmar dragged her by the hair and smashed her head against a door during a \u201cpetrifying\u201d attack.<\/p>\n
The woman, who cannot be identified, made the accusations at Bendigo Magistrates\u2019 Court on Monday as Winmar fought four assault charges in a contested hearing.<\/p>\n
Police allege the former St Kilda star, 60, attacked the woman at Cohuna in northern Victoria on May 14, 2025.<\/p>\n
![\"Former](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/f003549ea8809d36548fd039a21aab828bb39e62.jpeg\")
Former AFL player Nicky Winmar outside the Melbourne Magistrates\u2019 Court in August 2025.AAP<\/p>\n
She told the court Winmar unexpectedly became angry that evening and started yelling at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust complete ranting and screaming at me \u2013 none of it made sense,\u201d she told the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe hadn\u2019t been arguing or anything like that. I couldn\u2019t work out what was going on. I was in absolute shock.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman alleged Winmar grabbed her arm and twisted it hard before pulling her by the ponytail and dragging her into another room.<\/p>\n
She said Winmar then pushed her against a wall, before yelling and spitting in her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe turned off the light and wouldn\u2019t let me out,\u201d the woman told the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe physically overpowered me, so I couldn\u2019t get out. He knew I was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
The woman told the court he eventually let go of her, and she ran to grab her mobile phone, but he took it off her.<\/p>\n
![\"Nicky](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/83ca50d96119e842bf5fe93fefb47afa77899b00.jpeg\")
Nicky Winmar in 2023.Justin McManus<\/p>\n
He only passed the phone back after she said she wanted to call a friend instead of the police, the court was told.<\/p>\n
The woman said she spoke to her friend before passing the phone back to Winmar and running from the room.<\/p>\n
He allegedly chased after her and grabbed her head before bashing it repeatedly into a wooden door.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was getting dizzy, it was incredibly painful,\u201d she told the court.<\/p>\n
The woman said she managed to break free and lock herself into a room, where she called Triple Zero.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was petrified he was going to do more things to me,\u201d the woman said in her evidence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was actually fearful for my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Triple Zero call was played to the court alongside body-worn camera footage from a police officer who attended the scene.<\/p>\n
A photo of the woman\u2019s arm was also shown, depicting bruising above her right elbow.<\/p>\n
![\"St](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/66f469c7b16a88c07ab8a79a449f8fc0d9fdd16d.jpeg\")
St Kilda player Nicky Winmar points to his skin in response to a racist taunt from the crowd in 1993.Wayne Ludbey<\/p>\n
Under questioning from Winmar\u2019s barrister, Dermot Dann, KC, the woman accepted she did not tell the Triple Zero call taker nor the first officer what exactly happened.<\/p>\n
She did not disclose the allegations Winmar had dragged her or that he spat in her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t do that deliberately,\u201d the woman told the court.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to relive it again because I had been sitting in that room absolutely broken by what had just happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The contested hearing will continue on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Winmar became the first Aboriginal footballer to play 200 games in the AFL, finishing his career with 230 games at St Kilda and 21 for the Western Bulldogs.<\/p>\n
He fought back against racism in his career, including standing in front of an abusive Collingwood crowd in 1993, lifting his guernsey and proudly pointing at his skin.<\/p>\n
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