Sporting dynasties of the east: the great names and legacies
From football premierships to cricket pitch heroics, living the Olympic dream to the AFL odyssey, Melbourne’s eastern suburbs have had no shortage of sporting stars — many from a long line of well-known families who have left lasting legacies.
Outer East
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There’s no shortage of opportunities to excel at your chosen sport in the east, with one of the strongest local football competitions in the country among a host of renowned clubs across different codes. For some, it becomes a family affair with a sporting legacy built across multiple members of the same pedigree to even generations worth of contributions. Here are some of the best.
THE KINGS
If you live in the east, are heavily into local football and cricket and haven’t heard of the King family, then you must have been living under a rock. Where do we begin? For starters, the King name is synonymous with the South Croydon Football Club. Daniel, cousins Michael, David and Matthew have all played at the club. Daniel King has seen many accolades in some 25 years in the red, white and blue from juniors. Among several premierships at underage level, King’s senior career has so far produced more than 200 games, six club best and fairest awards, the EFL’s highest individual honour in 2013 – the Chandler Medal – captaining South Croydon to its first-ever top-flight premiership in 2017, and a best on ground medal to go with it.
Meanwhile, David King has made his name as a premier cricketer at Ringwood — three first XI premierships to his name, a club record 9874 runs, six premier team of the season honours, four club champion awards, life membership at the Rams and a member of the 2001-2010 team of the decade, along with the honour of Victorian Premier Cricket’s highest individual honour, the Ryder Medal just recently. Brother Michael — ‘Zippy’ — continues to be a damaging cricketer in his own right at South Croydon having just recently earned a place in the RDCA’s 2019/20 Team of the Year, among a host of other career honours. He was an explosive footballer for South Croydon and Chirnside Park, playing more than 250 games and kicking more than 600 goals. Cousin Steve Dinnell carved out a successful VFL career winning two flags with North Ballarat, before returning to local level where he featured in South Croydon’s top-flight 2017 flag.
THE STRATTONS
The late 1980s through the mid-1990s would produce four Eastern league competition best and fairest awards for Doncaster East’s Russell Stratton – 1988 (Division 4), 1990 (3), 1993 (4) and 1996 (3) to become an official league legend. At the time of receiving the legend honour in 1993, Stratton would be just the fourth man to achieve the feat behind Gary Galvin, Keith Robins and Ian Clark in the years earlier. But the legacy of Stratton’s distinguished sporting career wouldn’t end there. Nunawading’s little athletics club saw the dawn of the career of daughter and Australian Olympian long-jumper Brooke Stratton at age five – coached by Russell. Brooke’s prowess has earnt the Australian and Oceanic records in her craft – a handy 7.05 metres to overcome a 14-year record. She has competed on a host of international stages, including the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games among several world championship events. Add to that, younger sister Kristy plays for Collingwood’s AFLW side, making her debut in round six of 2018 after the midfielder was selected with pick six in the 2017 AFLW national draft. That’s some line-up of family sporting achievements.
THE GALVINS
Identities at Bayswater simply don’t come much bigger than the Galvin name – and what a mark they’ve left across two generations. Current Bayswater president Gary Galvin won three Eastern league competition best and fairest awards – 1980 (Division 1), 1981 (Division 2) and 1982 (Division 1) - earning official league legend status. Fast forward to 2005 and the eldest of Galvin’s three sons, Joel, would burst onto the local footy scene as a 17-year-old, playing in Bayswater’s Division 2 senior premiership side. Come the 2010s and Joel would too go on to become a legend, winning three league best and fairest awards in the second tier – 2012, 2016 and 2018, making the Gary/Joel Galvin combination the only father-son legends in the league’s history. What makes the 2016 honour stand out from the other two is Joel also captained his side to a premiership that season – something his old man never did. More than 200 games later and the long-serving captain of nearly a decade is still going strong, playing alongside brothers Mitch and Bryce, who’ve each played over 150 games at Bayswater respectively – including the 2016 flag, along with Bryce winning the club’s 2017 senior best and fairest. There would’ve been some interesting clashes with the Sherrin in the backyard as kids...
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THE CULLENS
Vermont were truly blessed to have had the Cullen brothers among their ranks spearheading a golden age for the club. Together, they hold the club record for most grand finals played in together – five – 1997, 2001, 2005, 2006, 2007. Individually, they were both scintillating players in their own right. Let’s start with Mark – 255 games for the Eagles with 84 of those played consecutively, seven senior premierships (second equal-most by any Vermont player in club history), a best and fairest in a premiership year (2001) and life membership of the EFL after heading to Silvan to finish his career where he racked up game 300, and claimed another senior best and fairest. Brother Brad captained the Eagles to a three-peat of flags across 2005-2007, in a senior career which spanned 187 games. Won two senior best and fairest medals, the first in 2003 and the second coming in a premiership year in 2005. Both descend from father Tom, a legend at Blackburn playing more than 200 matches, kicking more than 700 goals.
THE BARLOWS
Both Paul and Kris spent time at league clubs in between making significant contributions at local level. Paul worked his way through the under-19s at Richmond to earn his opportunity in 1988, playing four senior matches. Later linked up with then-VFA outfit Port Melbourne in 1991, making his name at full-back and representing the league. Returned to the eastern football scene in 1995 with Vermont, leading the club to a flag as playing-coach. Playing underneath him was younger brother Kris, whose reputation in the 1990s caught the eye of scouts to earn an opportunity as a mature-aged recruit at 25 with Hawthorn. Would go on to play 102 games with the Hawks before returning to Vermont in 2005. Later won best and fairest awards at Noble Park and Blackburn, as well as coaching stints with the Bulls and Vermont, coaching the club to a grand final in 2012. Paul’s sons Taine and Braeden currently play in the EFL and are carving out their own legacies - Taine played in the Vermont 2017 under-19 premiership side as a bottom-age player, and won the under-19s best and fairest the following season. Meanwhile, Braeden played in the 2015 under-19 premiership at the Eagles, along with the 2018 reserves flag.
THE MURPHYS
Here’s one for the football purists which continues to shine at the highest level of competition. John Murphy made his name as a champion footballer with Fitzroy across 214 games through the 1960s and ‘70s, debuting in 1967 after being picked up from Heidelberg. Remarkably, 158 of those 214 matches would be played consecutively from the beginning of his career, setting a record in that area and one that wouldn’t be broken until 2005. During his time at the Lions, he would take home five best and fairest awards, captain the club from 1973-77 and top the goalkicking twice. Played out his career with South Melbourne for 23 matches across 1978-79, followed by nine appearances for North Melbourne from 1979-80. After hanging up the boots, the Fitzroy legend embarked on a coaching career in the VFA, first at Werribee for three seasons followed by Box Hill, where he would steer the club from 1993-98 with a grand final appearance in ‘94, with his six seasons at the helm making him the club’s longest-serving coach. John Murphy was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2006, and is named in the centre in Fitzroy’s Team of the Century. Two sons Leigh and Marc have since made their own names and forged illustrious football CVs and reputations since starting out at Beverley Hills in juniors. Leigh, the elder of the two, is remembered as an EFL and Doncaster East great, after hanging up the boots at the end of 2018. Six club best and fairest awards, club captaincy, two premierships (2007 and 2018) among multiple EFL Team of the Year selections. A more than handy cricketer too, having played rep cricket and spending a year in England. Doncaster East’s 2018 flag was a fitting end for one of its all-time greats. The younger of the brothers, Marc, was snared by Carlton as the number one pick in the 2005 national draft, although could have ended up at the Lions under the father-son rule. Has to date played 269 matches for the Blues, twice best and fairest (2011, 2017) and All Australian honours in 2011 among a host of other accolades. If we want to go back further, John’s father and Marc’s grandfather, Leo, played 132 matches for Hawthorn in the 1930s - this made the trio the first father-son-grandson line-up to have each played 100 matches of league football.
THE HANNONS
One ongoing club legacy that’s risen to the fore in recent years on the EFL scene is the Hannon family at Boronia. Current Boronia president Greg Hannon made his name at Tormore Reserve, playing in the 1986 premiership - the Hawks’ first flag in almost a decade and the club’s last taste of the ultimate success until the year 2000. Would later go on to coach Knox before a stint as senior coach back at the Hawks from 2003 to 2005. Jump to the present day, and sons Luke and Josh have established themselves as senior players at the Hawks, both featuring in the club’s 2018 Division 3 premiership - the Hawks’ first senior flag in 18 years. Front and centre in the upset win over Ringwood would be Luke, winning the medal for best on ground. In what has not only been a rise of the family legacy in the brown and gold, Luke has won senior club best and fairest awards in 2017 and 2018 to go with an Eastern Ranges premiership in 2013 and a best and fairest in 2014 - the latter as captain of the NAB league outfit, and also a stint with VFL side Casey. Brother Josh made the move to the Hawks from Upwey-Tecoma, playing in the aforementioned 2018 flag in his first season at the club, after a stint at the Eastern Ranges across 2015 and 2016 for 17 appearances. Boronia continues to remain in the hunt in its respective division, so there could very well be more to play out with the Hannon family legacy.
THE BLAKES
Box Hill Cricket Club hit the jackpot with the Blake family when the eldest of the five brothers, Tim, joined the club in 1990 in the under-15s. What would follow would be one of the great family contributions to a sporting club across more than two decades, when brothers Andrew and Simon joined the following year, followed by younger brothers David and Sam some time later. Father Ron found himself unexpectedly captaining the fourths, and family matriarch Jennie would always be in attendance on match-day cheering her sons on while also preparing the players’ afternoon tea. Families like the Blakes are the lifeblood of grassroots sporting clubs, and as then Box Hill CC president Peter Shepard described them in a 2006 Leader interview - “they’re the heart and soul of Box Hill Cricket Club”.
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