What does Mabior Chol have in common with world boxing champion Jeff Horn, rugby league superstar Johnathan Thurston, world-acclaimed poet/author Steve Herrick and one-time Beatbox Battle world champion Joel Turner?
They all grew up in suburban Acacia Ridge, 15km south of Brisbane. And before you ask who are Steve Herrick and Joel Turner, they are two people with whom Chol would happily be linked to.
Herrick is the author of 26 books for children and young adults especially known for “Baguettes and Bicycle”, which chronicled his European cycling adventures. And Turner, a musician whose father played in the band of world-acclaimed Australian singer-songwriter Richard Clapton, has given meaning to ‘beatlebox’, the art of mimicking drum sounds and drum machines by using his mouth, lips, tongue and voice.
But as much as Horn, Thurston, Herrick and Turner might have Chol covered for international fame, Chol has a story the equal of any of them.
He is the only one of this quintet born in present-day South Sudan, and is now the 2519th AFL player to this significant milestone in a journey which began when at age two he fled South Sudan by boat with his family to Egypt to avoid Civil War and moved to Australia aged eight in 2005.
He’s become a standout figure in the AFL’s burgeoning Sudanese family, alongside the likes of Majak Daw, Aliir Aliir, Changkouth Jiath, Mac Andrew, Buku Khamis and Leek Aleer. And now, like Aliir, the ultra-chilled 200cm forward with a trademark platinum blonde streak in his hair is ZZZ a member of Queensland’s 100-Game AFL Club.
Chol posted his ‘’century’’ with Hawthorn on Saturday, kicking two goals in their 24-point win over St.Kilda at Marvel Stadium to stamp a gold star on a journey which began when the one-time soccer and basketball enthusiast was introduced to AFL football at 12 at Yeronga State High School.
Having later joined the Yeronga/South Brisbane Devils, he was invited to join the AFLQ player pathway and was a member of the Lions Academy in 2014-15. He played with the Lions Reserves side and Aspley in the NEAFL, and on AFL grand final day 2015 featured with the Allies in the MCG curtain-raiser.
Having impressed enormously at the 2015 Draft Combine, where he ranked #1 in the standing vertical jump, #2 in the running vertical jump and #2 in the 30m sprint behind Daniel Rioli, who is now at the Suns, he was considered a likely late choice in a draft that would be headed by Carlton’s Jacob Weitering at #1, Brisbane’s Josh Schache at #2, Sydney’s Callum Mills at #3, Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver at #4 and Essendon’s Darcy Parish at #5.
And so he was. Chol was the ninth of 10 Queenslanders drafted in November 2015, going to Richmond via rookie pick #30 after Brisbane had taken Eric Hipwood at #14 and Ben Keays at #24, and passed on fellow Lions Academy product Corey Wagner at #43 before he went
Wylie Buzza went to Geelong at #69, and in the rookie draft, Josh Wagner went to Melbourne via rookie pick #6, Paul Hunter went to St.Kilda via rookie #13, Sudanese-born Reuben William joined Brisbane via rookie #20 and Josh Smith went to Collingwood at rookie #25. After Richmond took Chol at rookie #30 the Suns closed out the Queensland contingent with Jesse Joyce at rookie #67.
Chol is the third member of this group after Hipwood and Keays to play 100 AFL games, and the 35th of 91 first-time draftees in 2015.
But it’s been a long, tough road for the always laconic and ever-friendly mobile forward, who has never forgotten how his parents had to leave aunts and uncles behind, and has always said his primary football motivation has been to enjoy his football, to pay back his family, and to make his family proud.
He debuted in Richmond’s 113-point loss to Sydney at the SCG in Round 23 2016, waited 1020 days before his second game in Round 13 2019, and it was a further 1144 days and a change of clubs before his 50th game in Round 20 2022.
His half-century came in his first season with the Gold Coast Suns, when he topped the club goal-kicking, but he played only eight games in 2023 – six of the first nine and the last two.
A VFL premiership player with Richmond in 2019, he kicked four grand final goals in the Suns’ 2023 VFL premiership, but after Hardwick was appointed Suns coach in August 2023 Chol confirmed he was off to Hawthorn.
He accepted a four-year contract with the Hawks over a rich two-year offer from North Melbourne and a three-year deal at Adelaide, and in 2024 he kicked 37 goals in 23 games and topped the Hawthorn goal-kicking.
The question across the AFL was … could he do it again in 2025?
He’s answered with an emphatic “yes”, and after an equal career-high five goals in his 99th game against North Melbourne in Round 16 he kicked two more in his 100th game against St.Kilda.
Aged 28 years 157 days as he posted his century, Chol is the ninth-oldest among Queensland’s 61 100-gamers. With 147 career goals he ranks #6 among the Queenslanders, and with a 56.5% win ratio he is #18.
And he is the second Queenslander to stretch his 100 games over three clubs, having played 39 times at Hawthorn, 31 at Richmond and 30 at Gold Coast.
Astonishingly, the first Queenslander to play 100 VFL/AFL games, Ray Smith, was playing top grade rugby league 12 months before he headed to Melbourne.
A Sherwood junior and Wests senior player in the QAFL and a decorated rugby union player at Brisbane Grammar, he’d only played rugby league because the Australian National Football Council had blocked his path to the then VFL.
Believing Queensland and NSW were development states, they banned transfers from these regions to the VFL, and it was only after Smith was on the verge of national selection that they relented and allowed him to join Essendon in 1971.
He debuted for the Bombers under coach John Birt in Round 7 1971, and after a mid-season switch from Essendon to Melbourne in 1975, played his 100th game in Round 13 1976 for Melbourne under Bob Skilton against Footscray at what was then Whitten Oval.
The 100-Game Queensland Honour Roll
In chronological order, AFL 100-gamers recruited from Queensland have been:
1970s: Ray Smith
1980s: Richard Murrie, Frank Dunell, Warren Jones, Jason Dunstall
1990s: Scott McIvor, Gavin Crosisca, Stephen Lawrence (Haw), Marcus Ashcroft, Dean McRae, Matthew Kennedy, Michael Voss
2000s: Jason Akermanis, Max Hudghton, Che Cockatoo-Collins, Steven Lawrence (Bris/StK), Mal Michael, Clark Keating, Clint Bizzell, Brett Voss, Mitch Hahn, Nick Riewoldt, Robert Copeland, Jamie Charman, Brad Miller, David Hale, Michael Osborne, Ben Hudson.
2010s: Daniel Merrett, Daniel Pratt, Sam Gilbert, Joel Macdonald, Kurt Tippett, Cheynee Stiller, Andrew Raines, Jarrod Harbrow, Luke McGuane, Dayne Beams, David Armitage, Courtenay Dempsey, Jesse White, Dayne Zorko, Lee Spurr, Brendan Whitecross, Zac Smith, Charlie Dixon, Rory Thompson, Alex Sexton, Charlie Cameron.
2020s: Harris Andrews, Josh Thomas, Lachie Weller, Tom Hickey, Eric Hipwood, Sam Reid, Aliir Aliir,, Lachie Keeffe, Jack Bowes, Ben Keays, Bailey Scott, Mabior Chol.
Standout statistical leaders among Queenslanders at 100 games have been:
Youngest & Oldest
Michael Voss is the youngest 100-gamer, having reached this mark at age 22 years 286 days. He was 22 days younger than Marcus Ashcroft (22/308). Also in the top 10 were Jason Akermanis (23/44), Harris Andrews (23/192), Nick Riewoldt and Eric Hipwood (22/223), Scott McIvor (23/234), Gavin Crosisca (23/267), Jarrod Harbrow (24/10), Bailey Scott (24/40).
Lachie Keeffe, 33 years 58 days old when he played his 100th game in 2023, is Queensland’s oldest ‘centurion’, from Warren Jones (32/210), Sam Reid (31/218), Ben Hudson (30/193), Tom Hickey (29/16), Lee Spurr (29/4), Josh Thomas (28/349), Frank Dunell (28/173), Mabior Chol (28/157), Aliir Aliir (27/301).
Most Possessions
Dayne Beams heads the 100-game possession count among Queenslanders with 2420 from Ben Keays (2319), Dayne Zorko (2058), Michael Voss (2045), Scott McIvor (2025), Marcus Ashcroft (1900), Jarrod Harbrow (1867), Lachie Weller (1852), Sam Gilbert (1784), Gavin Crosisca (1757).
Most Goals
Jason Dunstall kicked an astonishing 419 goals in his first 100 games – more than double the next best Kurt Tippett (182) and Nick Riewoldt (181). Charlie Dixon (158) is next best from Eric Hipwood (151), Mabior Chol (147), Che Cockatoo-Collins and Charlie Cameron (137), Jesse White (111), Dayne Beams (108) and Dayne Zorko (100).
‘Winningest & Losingest’
Jason Dunstall is also the ‘winningest’ Queensland 100-gamer, having enjoyed an extraordinary 82-18 win/loss record at 82.0%. Dayne Beams (73.5%), Frank Dunell (72.0%), Clark Keating (68.4%), Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence and Robert Copeland (66.0%), Brendan Whitecross and Lee Spurr (65.66%), Sam Gilbert (65.63%) and Josh Thomas (64.3%) complete the top 10.
Bailey Scott endured the toughest run to 100 games, with only 12 wins and a draw for a 12.1% win ratio. Others at the wrong end of the scale have been Lachie Weller (25.3%), Marcus Ashcroft (26.3%), Alex Sexton (27.0%), Harris Andrews and Ben Keays (29.0%), Jack Bowes (29.6%), Matthew Kennedy (30.3%) and Dayne Zorko (32.0%).
Most Brownlow Medal Votes
Michael Voss, captain of the Queensland Team of the Century, heads the 100-game Brownlow Medal tally at 100 games with 43, from TOC vice-captain Jason Dunstall (41) and Nick Riewoldt (41). Dayne Beams (36), Dayne Zorko (27), Ben Keays (23), David Armitage (21), Jason Akermanis (20) and Scott McIvor and Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence (19).
September Stars
Three Queenslanders had won two premiership by the time they played 100 games – Jason Dunstall, Clark Keating and Robert Copeland. Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence, Dayne Beams, Warren Jones and Frank Dunell, Gavin Crosisca, Mal Michael, Jamie Charman and Michael Osborne had one flag.
Dunstall, Copeland and Sam Gilbert had played in three grand finals inside 100 games, Keating and Copeland two, and Hawthorn’s Stephen Lawrence, Warren Jones, Crosisca, Charman, Michael, Dunell and Osborne one.
Dayne Beams (12) had logged most finals from Dunstall and Copeland (11), Gilbert (10), Keating, Brendan Whitecross, Jarrod Harbrow and Lee Spurr (9), Jason Akermanis, Warren Jones, Josh Thomas and Charlie Cameron (7), Crosica, Dunell, Brisbane/St.Kilda’s Steven Lawrence, Aliir Aliir, Jesse White and Sam Reid (6).