2023 was a game-changing year in Australian sport with our men’s cricket and women’s football teams leading the charge.
The Matildas exploded onto our screens during the Women’s World Cup to create all sorts of TV ratings records, while Pat Cummins and his band of merry cricketers got busy winning everything in sight.
So, with all of that taken into account (and using data from our own analytics), we’ve compiled a list of Australia’s most recognisable sports people … and there has been without doubt a momentous shift on the landscape.
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When considering this list we decided to put one caveat in place: the person must be an active player in their chosen field (so, with apologies to Ange Postecoglou and co, we’re ruling out coaches and commentators).
That rule is particularly significant in the AFL world following the retirements of two of the game’s biggest names in Nic Naitanui and Lance Franklin.
Those two superstars were ranked No.1 and 2 on the AFL list of major ‘talent examples’ on last year’s Australian Talent Index (compiled by talent corp).
10. Daniel Ricciardo
It’s a contentious call to slot Ricciardo in this top 10 given his fading star in Formula 1, but there is a still an odd fascination around him that this journalist doesn’t quite understand. Yes, his career is on life support and it seems unlikely that we will ever see the 34-year-old on a podium again, but — for the moment — Aussie rev-heads are interested in his F1 fate and he’s still a name of note and popular figure in motorsport.
9. Alyssa Healy
There is certainly a fair share of fascination around Australia’s newest cricket captain. Not only is she a superstar wicketkeeper-batter, but she just so happens to be part of a cricketing “power couple” with Aussie fast bowler Mitchell Starc. After filling in as captain for Meg Lanning over the past two years, Healy officially replaced Lanning across all three formats a few weeks ago. That honour followed her ‘team of the tournament’ recognition after Australia’s sixth T20 World Cup title in February. Her marriage to Starc also helps keep Healy in the news, with fans having a keen interest in the quirky couple’s lifestyle. Starc recently became the highest-paid player in the IPL auction with a huge $4.42 million contract, helping the couple cover the cost of the $25 million 1.8 hectare property they recently purchased that smashed all sorts of real estate records.
8. David Warner
The David Warner farewell show in 2023 has certainly generated a ‘bombshell’ headline or two for all the wrong reasons. No one can deny Warner’s staggering record in all three formats of cricket, but his status in the game will be forever tarnished by his role in the infamous sandpaper-gate scandal that saw him banned for 12 months, stripped of his vice-captaincy, and banned from all leadership roles for Australia. Combined with his poor Test form and unwillingness to retire, the Warner debate this year has almost overshadowed the achievements of the Australian team.
7. Emma McKeon
It’s difficult for Australia’s swimmers and athletes to pinch the limelight from our footballers and cricketers who are on the stage nearly every week, but Australia’s greatest Olympian certainly needs to be acknowledged. With 11 Olympic medals to her name (five gold, two silver, four bronze), McKeon is a mega-star of the pool. Throw in a high-profile relationship with popstar-turned-swimmer Cody Simpson, a love-triangle rumour with Aussie champ Kyle Chalmers, and Australia’s obsession with its swimmers, and you get why it’s impossible to leave the eight-time world-record holder off this list.
6. Nick Daicos
On January 3 Nick Daicos will turn 21. But with players such Lance Franklin and Nic Naitanui retiring — and superstar Tiger Dustin Martin nearing the end of his career — the door is wide open for a new AFL big dog and young Nick has already assumed the mantle. He plays for the biggest football club in Australia (out of any code), he almost won a Brownlow Medal in just his second year, he is an All-Australian, he is a premiership player, and he is the son of an AFL icon and Collingwood legend.
5. Nathan Cleary
The Penrith Panthers co-captain has seemingly become the biggest name in the NRL — leading your team, coached by your father, to a historic three-peat does that for ya. Not only that, he’s a big-game player, winning the Clive Churchill Medal (best player in a grand final) twice, including this year. But if that wasn’t enough, he was then captured on camera with his shirt off cuddling Australia’s favourite young Matilda … now, that’s how you get a headline, even in unfriendly NRL lands such as Melbourne and Perth.
4. Mary Fowler
If she wasn’t the second most recognisable Matilda before the World Cup, she certainly became it after. Australia is fascinated with the elegant football player, even her match-day gloves were in the news. The fascination turned to feverish obsession when rumours surfaced that she was romantically linked to NRL superstar Nathan Cleary. That obsession exploded when the relationship was confirmed and they were pictured cuddling in a Perth park.
3. Nick Kyrgios
He barely played in 2023 but you still can’t keep the polarising tennis star out of the headlines. According to Talent Corp’s ratings list, Kyrgios came in as the second most controversial figure in Australia at the start of 2023 with only radio shock jock Kyle Sandilands ahead of him. No matter what he does, Kyrgios is box office. You might love him or you might hate him, but one thing is sure, we all know the name.
2. Pat Cummins
The Australian cricket captain was making news one way or the other this year and had no shortage of critics. But what a way to silence them all. Cummins quite simply laughed at all the knockers — and all those ‘woke’ headlines — and just got busy winning. It was a stunning performance with his crowning masterpiece coming in the 50-over World Cup in India. And after defeating the host nation in a jaw dropping final, all hailed Cummins’ tactical brilliance following his call to bowl first (after winning the toss) and then executing a perfect plan. He capped off his incredible year by earning a whopping $3.67 million (20.5 crore) contract when he was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League auctions this month.
1. Sam Kerr
With the rise of the Matildas during the Women’s World Cup, came the mind-boggling rise of Sam Kerr. Already one of the biggest names in Australian sport, Kerr’s star soared to astronomical heights to become a household name and a walking headline on and off the pitch. When brand talent agency Talent Corp put together a data-based list of Australia’s most famous sporting heroes (past and present) at the start of this year, Kerr was already in the top 10 along with some of the all-time greats (Ash Barty was No.1). Don’t be surprised to see Kerr on top when the new list is compiled in February.
