Celebrating Ron Best

Tomorrow, we unite to celebrate a true “Legend” of the Bendigo Football Netball League, Ron Best – a name that will be forever synonymous with the BFNL. 

The surname of ‘Best’, serves as a fitting and accurate description of the greatest goalkicker the BFL has witnessed. 

Golden Square host Sandhurst in a Round 6 stand-alone match paying tribute to one of the inaugural members elevated to ‘Legend’ status of the Bendigo Football Netball League Hall of Fame, and arguably the greatest player to take to the field in the history of our League – Ron Best. 

In October 2020, Ron Best passed away only a few days after his 71st birthday. A charismatic and wonderful person, Ron’s contribution to our league and the game in general was significant. Possessing a playing record that is truly unrivalled and at times unbelievable, and purely on statistics alone a record that may never be matched or surpassed.  

Such was the impact and greatness of Ron’s forward line dominance and ability to win a match off his own boot, the league senior goalkicking award is named in his honour. Ron made a sensational debut in Round 4 of 1968 as an 18-year-old, booting an incredible 14 goals and 9 behinds for Golden Square in one of the greatest debuts ever witnessed in the League.  

Best became the youngest premiership/coach in BFNL history at only 23 years of age, leading Sandhurst to the 1973 premiership. 

Just take a moment to let these numbers sink in –  

• He nailed a total of 1624 majors across 270 games, including bags of 10 goals or more no less than 48 times, during his stellar career. 
• He bagged 10-plus majors 29 times at Golden Square, 12 at Sandhurst and then seven more times at Northern United. 
• His biggest individual haul was 16 majors (against Kyneton in round 20 of 1969), but he also nailed 15 twice, 14 goals six times and 13 twice also. 
• His 48-game tally in which he kicked double figures comes to 556. 
• Ron’s most prolific season was 1980 when he drove home 161 goals for Golden Square, including eight games of 10-plus. 
• He was a 5-time premiership player, including being the youngest ever BFNL premiership coach at 23 years of age.
• BFL leading goalkicker on 10 occasions
• Reached the 100 goals in a season mark on 13 occasions (12 in the BFL).
• Slotted 14.9 on senior debut in 1968 at age 18.
• Kicked 11 goals in his last match in 1984, in a grand final victory for Northern United. 
• Was an 18-time BFL Interleague representative (10 as captain and 8 as coach)
• Inducted into the BFNL Hall of Fame in 1986
• Elevated to ‘Legend’ status of the BFNL in 2019.
• BFNL senior goalkicking award named the “Ron Best Medal”. 

The sad passing of Ron in 2020 has instigated traditional BFNL rivals of whom Ron played for both - Golden Square and Sandhurst, to annually unite and recognise his contribution to not only the clubs he played with, but the BFNL and local football in general, with the coveted prize being the Ron Best Memorial Shield.