Steele Sidebottom

Steele Robert Sidebottom (born 2 January 1991) is a former professional Australian rules football player who played for the Collingwood Football Club in the Australian Football League.

He made the All-Australian team in 2018 and is a two-time Copeland Trophy winner.

Recruited from Congupna Football Club and the Murray Bushrangers, Sidebottom was selected by Collingwood with selection 11 in the 2008 AFL draft. Sidebottom had a 10-goal best-on-ground performance in the 2008 TAC Cup Grand Final. He is strong overhead and in one-on-one contests. An AIS/AFL Academy graduate and Vic Country representative in 2008, Sidebottom also was selected in the All-Australian team following the 2008 AFL Under 18 Championships.

A midfielder, Sidebottom became a star player for Collingwood. He has won the Copeland Trophy twice as the club's best and fairest (2017, 2018) and also played in premierships in 2010 and 2023. Sidebottom has been named in the All-Australian team in 2018 on a wing in addition to finishing second in the 2018 Brownlow Medal. He was the co-vice captain of Collingwood from 2015 until 2022.

Career Sidebottom made his AFL debut vs St Kilda in Round 7, 2009, where St Kilda defeated Collingwood by 88 points.

In the semi-final against Adelaide of the 2009 AFL Season, Sidebottom had his first major breakthrough, where he notched up 25 disposals in a come-from-behind win.

In 2010, Sidebottom played in all but one game for the Magpies, including both the drawn Grand Final and Grand Final replay. At 19 years of age, he was the youngest member of Collingwood's 2010 Premiership side.

On 6 October 2017, Sidebottom won the Copeland Trophy.

In the 2018 Brownlow Medal count, Sidebottom finished in second place (his career best).

In 2020, Sidebottom was handed a four match suspension for breaching the AFL's COVID-19 protocols, after he and teammate Lynden Dunn had shared an Uber together and visited several homes, with the night concluding with Sidebottom being driven home by police.

In Round 11 2023, Sidebottom played his 300th AFL game, becoming the fourth Collingwood player ever to do so. In the milestone match, he injured his MCL and did not play again until Round 18. In the Grand Final of that year, Sidebottom kicked a goal with a 55-metre bomb in the last quarter which ultimately proved vital to Collingwood's premiership victory.

On 13 August 2026, Sidebottom announced that he would retire at the end of the 2026 AFL season.

Statistics

373 !! 213 !! 148 !! 4879 !! 3627 !! 8506 !! 1828 !! 1355 !! 0.6 !! 0.4 !! 13.1 !! 9.7 !! 22.8 !! 4.9 !! 3.6 !! 112