Tomas Bugg

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For the rugby league footballer of the 1920s, see Thomas Bugg.

Tomas Bugg
Bugg playing for Melbourne in June 2017
Personal information
Full name Tomas Bugg
Nickname(s) Buggy
Date of birth (1993-04-05) 5 April 1993 (age 31)
Place of birth Melbourne, Victoria[1]
Original team(s) Gippsland Power (TAC Cup)
Draft Underage recruit, Greater Western Sydney
Debut Round 1, 2012, Greater Western Sydney vs. Sydney, at ANZ Stadium
Height 185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight 84 kg (185 lb)
Position(s) Defender / Midfielder
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2012–2015 Greater Western Sydney 65 (16)
2016–2018 Melbourne 31 (18)
2019 Carlton 0 (0)
Total 96 (34)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2019.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Tomas Bugg (born 5 April 1993) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Greater Western Sydney and Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He s also an entrepreneur, and the co-founder and CEO of the social media technology firm ZOOZ Group.[2][3][4] A defender, 1.85 metres (6 ft 1 in) tall and weighing 84 kilograms (185 lb), Bugg was capable of playing on both the half-back line and as a midfielder. He entered top level football early when he joined the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup as a bottom-aged player. In addition to representing Victoria in both the under 16 and under 18 championships. His performances as a junior, saw him be one of twelve players who signed with the Greater Western Sydney Giants as an underage recruit in 2010. He made his AFL debut in the 2012 season and earned a Rising Star nomination. After spending four seasons with Greater Western Sydney, playing sixty-five matches, he was traded to the Melbourne Football Club during the 2015 trade period. During his time in the AFL, he earned the reputation as being "one of the best nigglers in the competition". Prior to the beginning of the 2019 premiership season, he informed the Carlton Football Club of his decision to step away from AFL football, effective immediately.

Early life[edit]

Thomas Bugg was born to Jim and Kerry Bugg (née Ramage)[5] in Melbourne, Victoria;[1] and played his junior football career with the Gembrook-Cockatoo Junior Football Club[6] and Beaconsfield Football Club[7] before joining the Gippsland Power in the TAC Cup as a bottom-aged player in 2010 where he played eight matches and kicked two goals,[8] including the grand final loss against the Calder Cannons.[9] He received state honours in 2009 when he played for Vic Country in the under 16 championships,[10] and received a scholarship within the prestigious AIS/AFL Academy as part of their 2009 intake.[11] He was again selected for Vic Country in 2010, this time in the AFL Under 18 Championships[12] and played his best game for the series against NSW/ACT, where he was named in the best players.[13] In October 2010, he signed a three-year contract with the Greater Western Sydney Giants (GWS) as an underage recruit,[14] which was a special recruitment process allowed by the AFL Commission where GWS could sign twelve players born between January and April 1993.[15] As GWS wouldn't compete in the Australian Football League (AFL) until 2012, he moved to Melbourne in 2011 to complete year twelve at Caulfield Grammar School as a boarder.[16][17]

AFL career[edit]

2012–2015: Early career at Greater Western Sydney[edit]

Bugg playing for GWS in August 2015.

Thomas Bugg made his AFL debut in Greater Western Sydney's first ever match — which was in the opening round of the 2012 season against Sydney at ANZ Stadium — where he recorded twenty-seven disposals, five marks and four tackles.[18] In his fifth match, he received the round five nomination for the Rising Star after the forty-two point loss against the Western Bulldogs at Manuka Oval where he recorded twenty-eight disposals, seven marks, and six rebound-50s; playing as both a defender and midfielder in the match, he was rewarded for his ability to man-up on Shaun Higgins, Justin Sherman and Nathan Djerrkura.[19] In June, he signed a contract extension until the end of the 2015 season.[20] The season saw him involved in numerous match review panel incidents, where the Western Bulldogs', Patrick Veszpremi missed a match for headbutting Bugg,[21] and Essendon's, David Zaharakis was reprimanded for striking Gugg,[22] along with match-day incidents by Essendon's, Heath Hocking (headbutting)[23] and Richmond's, Bachar Houli (forceful front-on contact),[24] which did not result in charges, and he was fined for being involved in a melee in the round thirteen match against Melbourne.[25] He played eighteen matches and kicked six goals in his debut season.[26]

Bugg played the opening six matches for the 2013 season before being omitted for the round seven match against Adelaide at Škoda Stadium,[27] he was recalled the next week for the eighty-three point loss against Hawthorn at Aurora Stadium before being dropped again the next week.[28] He played the next two months in the reserves for the UWS Giants in the North East Australian Football League (NEAFL), before returning to the senior side for the 129-point loss against Sydney at the Sydney Cricket Ground in round sixteen[29] and played the remainder of the season, apart from the final round match against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.[30] He was praised during the year by former Melbourne captain, Garry Lyon, who noted Bugg "shows leadership quality beyond his years".[31]

After a strong pre-season in 2014 where he won the club three-kilometre time trial,[32] Bugg played the first six matches of the season before he was omitted for the round seven match against Port Adelaide at Manuka Oval.[33] He returned to the senior side for the forty-five point win against Brisbane at the Gabba in round thirteen where he was a late replacement for Aidan Corr.[34] During the match, he was involved in a marking contest where his hip collided with Jonathan Brown's head,[35] which subsequently forced Brown into retirement after receiving too many head knocks.[36] After receiving the reputation of being "one of the best nigglers in the competition", he was involved an incident in round fifteen where he bumped Sydney captain, Kieren Jack, which drew condemnation from the public, in particular from Australian Football Hall of Fame member, Tony Shaw who described the bump as "pretty ordinary".[37] He was involved in further incidents, which saw both St Kilda's, Maverick Weller and Fremantle's, Hayden Ballantyne suspended for striking him,[38][39] and North Melbourne's, Sam Gibson suspended for rough conduct.[40]

The opening round of the 2015 season saw Bugg play his 50th AFL match in which the club defeated St Kilda by nine points at Etihad Stadium.[41] During the match, he collided with St Kilda captain, Nick Riewoldt, which saw Riewoldt sent to hospital for precautionary scans,[42] the collision drew the ire of St Kilda coach, Alan Richardson who labelled it "poor", with the public and media pondering whether the act was deliberate.[43] He was ultimately cleared by the match review panel where they deemed "Riewoldt stepped into Bugg's path and he was unable to avoid contact"[44] and he later confirmed that the collision was unintentional.[45] He played the first twelve matches for the season before he was omitted for the first match after the mid-season bye, the round fourteen clash against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[46] He returned to the senior side for the twenty-one point loss against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval in round twenty and played the remainder of the season.[47] In August, it was revealed that GWS were yet to offer him a contract and speculation grew that he would return to his home state of Victoria after several clubs expressed interest in him.[48] After an up and down season and sixty-five matches for GWS in total,[49] he was traded to the Melbourne Football Club in October.[50]

2016–2018: Move to Melbourne[edit]

Bugg at training in November 2015

After playing every match in the 2016 NAB Challenge[51][52][53] and being named as one of the "eye-catching" players during the pre-season by AFL Media,[54] Thomas Bugg made his debut for Melbourne in the opening round of the season against his old side, Greater Western Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in a two-point win.[55] He drew negative attention during the 33-point win against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the annual Anzac Day eve match for two separate incidents, the first where he pushed Jack Riewoldt when he was injured and Bugg received a $1000 fine from the match review panel for "making contact with an injured player".[56] The second incident was his celebration after kicking his only goal for the match, where he put his finger to his mouth to silence the Richmond cheer squad with a wink, which drew displeasure from the commentators.[57] He later apologised for both incidents.[58] He played every match for the season until the round 16 match against Fremantle at TIO Stadium,[59] and played in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, before returning to the senior side for the 29-point win against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round 20 and played the remainder of the season in the seniors.[60] He played eighteen matches in his first season for Melbourne and finished seventeenth in the best and fairest count.[61]

In 2017, during a game against the Sydney Swans, he struck Callum Mills in the face in the opening stages of the match. The incident happened four minutes into the game and behind play. Bugg was reported immediately and later received a six-week suspension from the Tribunal.[62]

Bugg was delisted by Melbourne at the end of the 2018 AFL Season after playing 31 games and kicking 18 goals over his three years at the club.

2019: Carlton and retirement[edit]

After joining Carlton via the rookie draft for the 2019 AFL season, Thomas Bugg announced his retirement before the beginning of the season.[63]

Statistics[edit]

Statistics are correct to the end of the 2018 season[26]
Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
2012 Greater Western Sydney 14 18 6 3 150 167 317 72 57 0.3 0.2 8.3 9.3 17.6 4.0 3.2
2013 Greater Western Sydney 14 14 3 6 97 99 196 40 38 0.2 0.4 6.9 7.1 14.0 2.9 2.7
2014 Greater Western Sydney 14 17 4 3 133 121 254 56 63 0.2 0.2 7.8 7.1 14.9 3.3 3.7
2015 Greater Western Sydney 14 16 3 4 115 141 256 46 43 0.2 0.3 7.2 8.8 16.0 2.9 2.7
2016 Melbourne 32 18 7 2 149 186 335 42 84 0.4 0.1 8.3 10.3 18.6 2.3 4.7
2017 Melbourne 32 10 7 12 70 69 139 29 31 0.7 1.2 7.0 6.9 13.9 2.9 3.1
2018 Melbourne 32 3 4 7 28 20 48 9 13 1.3 2.3 9.3 6.7 16.0 3.0 4.3
Career 96 34 37 742 803 1545 294 329 0.4 0.4 7.7 8.4 16.1 3.1 3.4

Business career[edit]

While playing for the Melbourne Football Club, Thomas Bugg co-founded ZOOZ Group a social media technology company.[64] In less than 12 months of operations ZOOZ Group grew to a multi-million dollar[65] business leading to Bugg's retirement from professional sport to pursue his business goals.[2][66] In 2019, less than a year after retiring from football, ZOOZ Group was awarded the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia Rising Star Award.[67][68]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Lewis, Georgina; Burgan, Matt (22 December 2015). "I'll help Melbourne any way I can: Bugg". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Carlton player Tomas Bugg retires from AFL to pursue Instagram influencing dreams". Mamamia. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  3. ^ "Star quits for social media influencing". NewsComAu. 2 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  4. ^ "Heraldsun.com.au | Subscribe to the Herald Sun for exclusive stories". www.heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  5. ^ Ryan, Peter (24 April 2016). "Bugg not the pest he's made out to be". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  6. ^ Bennett, Russell (12 June 2012). "Bugg back to his base" (PDF). Ranges Trader Mail. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  7. ^ Bennett, Russell (19 July 2012). "Hooley Dooley, what a side" (PDF). Cranbourne News. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  8. ^ "Player Profile – Tomas Bugg". TACCup.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  9. ^ "Wallis impresses with 47-touch TAC Cup GF". TACCup.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 20 September 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  10. ^ "Vic Country – Football is in the Heart". AFLVic.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  11. ^ "Buckley named in '09 AIS-AFL Academy Intake". CarltonFC.com.au. Bigpond. 13 August 2009. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Vic Country U18's Undefeated". AFLVic.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 14 June 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Vic Country, WA triumph in U18s". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. 6 June 2010. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  14. ^ Wood, Lauren (13 October 2010). "Students sign on with Greater Western Sydney". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  15. ^ "Team GWS signs Victorian duo". AFLNSWACT.com.au. Fox Sports Pulse. 13 October 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  16. ^ Quayle, Emma (13 October 2010). "Team GWS settle on promising youngsters". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  17. ^ Conn, Malcolm (2 May 2012). "GWS young gun Tomas Bugg keen to take on mentor Chris Judd". The Daily Telegraph. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  18. ^ Cordy, Neil (23 March 2012). "GWS coach Kevin Sheedy bloods 17 for opener". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  19. ^ Australian Associated Press (1 May 2012). "Defender Tomas Bugg wins GWS Giants' second AFL Rising Star nomination after outstanding game against Western Bulldogs". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  20. ^ Australian Associated Press (15 June 2012). "Greater Western Sydney's Tomas Bugg and Dylan Shiel among five young guns to re-sign with the club". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  21. ^ Hogan, Jesse (1 May 2012). "Selwood cleared of strike charge". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  22. ^ Hogan, Jesse (29 May 2012). "Eagle faces one-match ban". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  23. ^ Hogan, Jesse (28 May 2012). "Headbutt on Bugg gives panel a second chance". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  24. ^ Buckle, Greg (19 June 2012). "Two-game ban adds to troubles". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Lions Star can Accept Reprimand". The Age. Fairfax Media. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  26. ^ a b "Tomas Bugg". AFL Tables. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  27. ^ Wu, Andrew (10 May 2013). "Grand final deja vu for Swans". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  28. ^ Wu, Andrew (17 May 2013). "Briefs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  29. ^ Wu, Andrew (12 July 2013). "Membrey a chance to debut". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  30. ^ "2013 AFL round 23 teams". The Age. Fairfax Media. 29 August 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  31. ^ Lyon, Garry (3 August 2013). "Demons' giant challenge". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  32. ^ Meyrick, Leigh (9 November 2013). "Time To Shine". GWSGiants.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  33. ^ Sygall, David (2 May 2014). "Briefs". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  34. ^ Stafford, Andrew (14 June 2014). "GWS Giants get first win away from home". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  35. ^ Whiting, Michael (14 June 2014). "Brown's sigh of relief after worrying head knock". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  36. ^ Stafford, Andrew (23 June 2014). "Brisbane Lions' Jonathan Brown bows to medical advice and announces retirement". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  37. ^ Wu, Andrew (29 June 2014). "Swans confident Kieren Jack not injured". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  38. ^ "Saints Hayes, Weller out of first round". The Age. Fairfax Media. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  39. ^ Hogan, Jesse (15 July 2014). "Ballantyne's one-game ban a blow for Dockers". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  40. ^ Hogan, Jesse; Murnane, Matt (12 August 2014). "Roughead ban a test for Hawks". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  41. ^ Sygall, David (4 April 2015). "Tommy Bugg to notch up 50 in GWS Giants opener against St Kilda". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  42. ^ Ralph, Jon (5 April 2015). "Nick Riewoldt suffers whiplash but expected to play next week". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  43. ^ Phelan, Jennifer (5 April 2015). "Was Bugg's hit on Riewoldt deliberate?". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  44. ^ "Brett Deledio, Matt Shaw offered bans by AFL MRP, Tomas Bugg cleared of Nick Riewoldt hit". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. 6 April 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  45. ^ "Tomas Bugg defends AFL collision with Riewoldt". The Age. Fairfax Media. 8 April 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  46. ^ "AFL Teams Round 14, 2015: Gary Ablett back, Darcy Moore to debut". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 3 July 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  47. ^ "AFL Teams Round 20, 2015: Nat Fyfe, Travis Cloke, Brett Deledio, Steve Johnson return". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. 13 August 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  48. ^ Ralph, Jon (21 August 2015). "GWS is yet to offer Tom Bugg a contract, could force him to move to rival club". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  49. ^ "Season Summary: Tomas Bugg". GWSGiants.com.au. Bigpond. 21 October 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  50. ^ Beveridge, Riley (21 October 2015). "AFL trades: Melbourne enhances draft position, secures Tomas Bugg in deals with Gold Coast and GWS". Fox Sports (Australia). News Corp Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  51. ^ Thring, Harry (27 February 2016). "Second-half blitz helps Demons run over Power". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  52. ^ Ryan, Peter (6 March 2016). "Determined Demons outlast young Bulldogs". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  53. ^ King, Travis (13 March 2016). "Dees' belief building as win over Saints maintains perfect record". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  54. ^ Ryan, Peter (6 March 2016). "Liked the look of: 10 eye-catching players from week three of NAB Challenge". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  55. ^ Harrington, Anna (24 March 2016). "Round one team selection". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  56. ^ Schmook, Nathan (26 April 2016). "Rance takes two weeks, Pies, Dons fined for melee". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  57. ^ Gleeson, Michael (26 April 2016). "AFL 2016: Melbourne's Tom Bugg apologises for his actions against Richmond". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  58. ^ Guthrie, Ben (26 April 2016). "Remorseful Tom Bugg left cringing after push on Jack Riewoldt". AFL.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  59. ^ Burgan, Matt (7 July 2016). "Grimes, White in for first match of 2016". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  60. ^ "AFL Teams: Full Round 20 squads and the best SuperCoach advice". Herald Sun. News Corp Australia. 5 August 2016. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  61. ^ Burgan, Matt (6 September 2016). "Viney edges Jones to win first 'Bluey'". MelbourneFC.com.au. Bigpond. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  62. ^ "Bugg suspended for six weeks".
  63. ^ "Carlton recruit Tomas Bugg calls it quits". The Age. 1 February 2019.
  64. ^ "New Blue Tom Bugg makes surprise call to walk away from football". Fox Sports. 1 February 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  65. ^ "Cash for comment: the evolution of Insta influencers". Australian Financial Review. 25 March 2019. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
  66. ^ "Ex-Demon Bugg gives businesses a fighting chance".
  67. ^ "Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Australia". Deloitte Australia. Retrieved 22 November 2019.
  68. ^ "Taking his eye off the ball was a winning decision for Tommy Bugg - Technology, Media & Telecommunications blog | Deloitte Australia". Deloitte. Retrieved 18 November 2022.

External links[edit]

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