PATRICK MILLS
Patrick first played for the Australian Boomers at the 2007 FIBA Oceania Men’s Championships and in 2009, was selected with the 25th pick in the second round (55th pick overall) by the Portland Trailblazers, becoming the second Indigenous player to be drafted into the NBA. During the NBA lockout in 2011 – Patrick returned home and enjoyed a short stint playing for the Melbourne Tigers in the NBL. He was then signed by Chinese club Xinjiang Flying Tigers, before rejoining the NBA in March 2012, this time with the San Antonio Spurs where he produced an NBA career-high 34 point game against the Golden State Warriors in April – the highest single game tally achieved by an Australian in the NBA. In July 2012, Patrick was named captain of the Australian Boomers ahead of the 2012 Olympics.

DES ABBOTT
Des played his first hockey game for Australia as a junior in 2002. In 2005, he was part of Australia’s silver medal-winning junior world championship team and in 2007 made his senior Australian debut. In 2008, he helped Australia win the Champions Trophy in Rotterdam, scoring a crucial goal in the final match. Des was a member of the bronze medal-winning Australian team at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, and was named Sportsperson of the Year at the 2009 Northern Territory Sports Awards. In 2010, Des was a member of the Australian squad that won the Champions Trophy in Germany, also winning a Gold Medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. In June 2012, Des was named in the final Australian team for the London Olympics, but was forced to withdraw due to injury .

KURTLEY BEALE
Kurtley was signed by the Waratahs at the age of 16 and captained the Australian Schoolboys’ team. He was named Player of the Tournament at the 2007 Australian Rugby Championship and in 2009, he made his Wallabies debut. Kurtley was shifted to fullback in 2010, where he produced several standout performances. The year was also his biggest on the international stage, and he finished the year with seven tries from 12 test appearances. In 2011, Kurtley was nominated for the IRB International Player of the Year Award and played for the Wallabies at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. In 2012, Kurtley began playing for new Super Rugby club, the Melbourne Rebels.

BENN HARRADINE
The Australian record holder in discus, in 2006, Benn competed at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games where he made the final, finishing eighth overall. Leading into the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Benn broke the Australian discus record twice in two weeks while competing in the US and won the Australian title. In Beijing, Benn became the first Indigenous field athlete to represent Australia at the Olympics. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, Benn became the first Indigenous Australian to win a field medal at a major championship, throwing a distance 65.45m, a tad shy of his personal best, and enough to win him the Gold Medal. At the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea, Benn finished in 4th place. He was also named in the 2012 Australian Olympic team.

DANIEL GEALE
As an amateur boxer , Daniel won both Australian and Oceania welterweight titles, as well as a Gold Medal in the welterweight division at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, and competed at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. After turning professional in 2004, he amassed an impressive record of 17 wins from 17 bouts before clinching the IBO middleweight title. In May 2011, Daniel won the IBF middleweight world title. In doing so, he became just the fourth Australian boxer to win a world title on foreign soil, and the second Aboriginal Australian to do so after Lionel Rose. Daniel has since defended his world title successfully twice against top ranked challengers, defeating Eromosele Albert in August 2011, and Osumanu Adama in February 2012. He is scheduled to fight long time WBA champion Felix Sturm in Germany in September in a middleweight unification showdown.

Tags: 2012 Deadlys® Nominees, August 2012 No. 186, Deadly Vibe Magazine, Deadlys