It is with great sadness that on 8th March 2026, Joe Tenace passed away after having succumbed to heart failure and pneumonia. Joe was a champion footballer with Bulleen Templestowe Football Club and in 1977, as a 19 year old, narrowly missed scoring 100 goals that season.
While football was his ultimate passion, he still had time to help out the cricket club when needed. He played two full seasons of cricket in 1976/77 and 1977/78, in the 2nds, 3rds and 4ths. From there, he made some ad hoc appearances in 1982/83, 1983/84 and 1985/86.
Joe’s overall stats are as follows:
Games Played: 26
Overall Batting:
| Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Average | Highest Score |
| 31 | 3 | 364 | 13.00 | 51 |
Overall Bowling:
| Balls Bowled | Maidens | Wickets | Runs | Average | Strike Rate | Best Bowling |
| 416 | 7 | 10 | 263 | 26.30 | 41.60 | 3/39 |
Joe was often a regular at the clubrooms after a game and gave solid support to the club. He saved his final club appearance when he fronted up to the club’s 50th year celebration at the MCG in November 2019. He would’ve made the trip to the club for the recent Best 1st XI function last October, but wasn’t well.
I must make mention of his footballing skills. Joe played with Greythorn Football Club and crossed over to Bulleen Templestowe Football Club when the football club made its debut in the Amateurs in 1974. In 1977, he almost reached the magic milestone of 100 goals. That season, he was still only 19 years old!
Joe was known as The Whale for good reason, he was as big as one!! He never backed down from any contest “off the field”, let alone on the field. I recall us being at the MCG in December 1975 when the Aussies were playing the West Indies. Joe left his seat to go to the toilet and it was some time later that he returned, with blood over the front of his white t-shirt. We were horrified, but he laughed it off and said that two Heidelberg Boys took him on in the toilets. He took both of them out and made sure they gave him a blood souvenir on his white t-shirt!
There are lots more stories to be told about Joe. Whether it was football or cricket, Joe loved both clubs. For many years, he lived in St.Leonards with his wife and two children. Sadly, his wife passed away a few years ago.
On behalf of the club, thank you Joe for your service to the mighty Bullants. In particular, the mateship that we shared at Templestowe High School, Bulleen Templestowe Cricket Club, Bulleen Templestowe Football Club, Templestowe Hotel and anywhere else where we managed to catch up.
Sincere condolences to your children, siblings and family. RIP big fella. You were one of the best.
Frizzle
