Peter Siddle was born in Traralgon, Victoria and grew up in nearby Morwell in the Gippsland region. Originally a competitive woodchopper, he began playing cricket at the age of 14 for the Latrobe Cricket Club. As a teenager, he experienced success at under-17 level taking 11/47 in a state match, breaking the Victorian state record set by John Scholes.

In 2003, Siddle attended the Australian Cricket Academy and made his first-class debut playing for Victoria against a touring West Indian side at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in November 2005. In 2006 he attended the Academy again and was offered a full contract with the Victorian Bushrangers for the 2006–07 season. Shoulder injuries began to hamper Siddle, with a shoulder reconstruction sidelining him for most of the 2006–07 season and further problems interrupting the 2007–08 season. Despite his injury problems he made himself an important part of Victoria's bowling attack, taking figures of 6/57 in an innings against South Australia and taking nine wickets in Victoria's Pura Cup final in a loss to New South Wales. Siddle required a second shoulder reconstruction at the end of the season, and despite missing more than half of the season due to shoulder injuries, he took 33 wickets at an average of 15.75 to attract attention from national selectors.

Emerging player of the year (2008–2009)

After touring India with Australia A, Siddle w