VOTE: Who is the greatest family in Australian sporting history?
Australia has a long history of producing parent-child sporting greatness, but which famous name stands above the rest?
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From the Abletts, to the Clearys, the Doohans, the Tszyus and the Marshes, Australia has a long and decorated history of producing multigenerational sporting talent.
Gary Ablett Snr set the bar high, but Jr may have outdone him.
That’s definitely the case for Ivan and Nathan Cleary too, while the Morris brothers have both scored more tries than their dad, Steve.
Phil Kearns will be remembered as one of the greatest hookers Australia has ever had. Three decades later, his daughter Tilly won water polo gold in Paris.
In boxing, Tszyu clan’s 50-0 record in Australia is formidable.
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Kostya started things off with 18 wins, while Tim (22) and Nikita (10) are in action now.
Which raises the question: where do the Tszyus rank as the greatest cross-generational sporting family in Australian history?
We’ve picked out 10 of the best parent-child combinations.
Vote below on who you think is the best, and comment any we’ve missed.
IVAN AND NATHAN CLEARY
Ivan was a 10-year first grade player before turning the Panthers into one of the most dominant sides of the NRL era.
Nathan is still just 27, but has achieved everything there is to achieve in rugby league and is already being touted an all-time great of the sport.
Honourable Mentions to the Rogers crew, the Sattlers and Pearces too.
GARY ABLETT SNR AND GARY ABLETT JR
Many an argument has kicked off at the pub over who is the greatest AFL player of all time. Gary Ablett Snr is invariably always near the top of that list.
Junior often isn’t far away though, and you’d have to have him in your top 10, surely.
THE MARSH FAMILY
Father Geoff and sons Shaun and Mitchell have combined for 134 Tests, more than 7000 runs and 13 centuries for Australia.
Those numbers are even higher in ODIs with the Marsh family leaving a long-lasting impact on Australian cricket.
JACK AND MICK DOOHAN
Five-time world Moto GP champion Mick is one of the greatest motorcycle racers ever, retiring with a ridiculous win ratio of 46 per cent.
His 22-year-old son Jack races on four wheels instead of two, and won a full-time F1 seat for Alpine this year.
THE TSZYUS
The Tszyus have a combined 50-0 record when fighting on Australian soil.
Kostya was the undisputed super-lightweight world champion and had 18 wins in Australia.
Tim held the WBO super-welterweight world title and is sitting on 22 wins here, while younger brother Nikita is an unbeaten 10-0.
PHIL AND TILLY KEARNS
Phil Kearns was one of the most recognisable faces of the best era of Australian rugby union, and won two World Cups.
He was poolside, decked out in gold, in Paris last year when his daughter, Tilly, won an Olympic silver medal in the water polo pool.
THE BRABHAMS
A name synonymous with motor racing, Sir Jack Brabham is a three-time Formula One champion.
Jack’s sons Geoff and David both won Le Mans, while Gary had a long racing career too. The family tradition extended well into a third generation with grandsons Matthew and Sam both racing as well.
THE MCKEONS
Ron McKeon represented Australia at the 1980 and ’84 Olympics, and won four Commonwealth Games golds. Wife Susie went to the Commonwealth Games too, while her brother, Rob Woodhouse, is a two-time Olympian.
Ron and Susie’s daughter Emma went even better, and will go down as Australia’s greatest ever Olympic swimmer with six golds and 11 medals in total, while brother David also represented Australia at the Olympics.
THE MORRIS FAMILY
Steve Morris had a phenomenal footy career, scoring 122 tries in first grade.
So it’s a remarkable fact that his sons, twins Josh and Brett, both outscored him, touching down 158 and 176 times in the NRL respectively.
Throw in New South Wales and Australian rep honours and the Morris crew is right at home as one of the best sporting families in the country.
DAICOS FAMILY
The Daicos name was already legendary at Collingwood after Peter played 250 games and won a Premiership with the club.
That his sons Josh and Nick both played for the Magpies and won a flag in 2023 only strengthened the legacy.
Originally published as VOTE: Who is the greatest family in Australian sporting history?
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