WTC - About Us

About the World Tipping Competition

Like most great ideas, the WTC was born over a few beers at a pub back in 2012. At the time, Thommo was the live-in caretaker and clubhouse manager at the Cottesloe Rugby Club. He’d heard about a similar comp over on the east coast, but figured it could be done bigger—and definitely better. While pulling beers behind the bar, he started sounding people out to see if there was any interest. Turns out there was: 19 punters signed up in year one, 14 of them tied to the club. With help from Scott Whiston and Dan Turco, the events were selected—usually on AFL Grand Final day, or “Man Day” as it quickly became known—fuelled by a few Bloody Marys at the clubhouse.

WTC I was won by Thommo, who got all four golf tips right, including two majors and two Aussie tournaments. It was later worked out that if he’d rolled a $10 bet into each one, he’d have been about $1.5 million richer. Safe to say, that one still stings.

By WTC III, things were getting serious… or at least more competitive. After ties for second place in the first two years, the third edition ended in a four-way tie for the top spot. Not ideal for someone whose vision for the comp was “there can be only one.” So in WTC IV, runners-up points were introduced to help sort out a winner if needed. WTC III also saw Gillian Forde make history as the first dual winner (in just three years) having gone back to back, sharing the title with Conor Brennan, Daniel Reading, and a then up-and-comer Rory Macdonald—who would eventually grab his second title in WTC XIII.

WTC IV brought its own chaos, with a nine-way tie for third place. With prize money barely cracking $50 a head for equal 3rd spot (less than the entry fee), it was clear something had to change. Runners-up points were rolled out across the board, along with a countback system that gave extra credit to those nailing tips later in the year (on the logic that it’s harder the further away the event is in the year from the tips are entered). That year also saw Craig Boulton claim his first title—another future two-time champ, his next coming in WTC XI.

In 2019 and 2020, Thommo stepped back from running things, handing over the reins to Conor Brennan and Lloyd Darmody. He returned in 2021 (WTC IX), where he was introduced to Daniel Kossen via a COVID-era Teams call—because nothing says elite sporting comp like a virtual meeting. Kossen, already a seasoned punter, revamped the spreadsheet and helped form a four-man admin team. Thommo celebrated his return by winning his second title, becoming just the second person at the time to do so.

Fast forward to 2026, and the WTC has hit a new level. Darmody stepped aside from admin duties, with Mitch Fontalvo stepping in. Earlier in the year, Kossen and Brennan took things to the airwaves with the WTC’s first podcast, later joined by Thommo, delivering fortnightly updates, questionable insights, and the occasional hot take. By April, the WTC website was live, and by May, total prize money will have ticked past $50k over 13.5 years. Not bad for something that started at the pub.

Over the years, more than 250 punters have had a crack, but only four can claim a perfect attendance record: Thommo (of course), Gillian Forde, Conor Brennan, and Dan Turco—who also sits 10th on the all-time prize money list thanks to a mix of consistent placings and side comp success. Proof that in the WTC, turning up every year is half the battle… the other half is actually picking winners.