ANDO’S TOP 50 Aussies

Have our female athletes ever been so dominant as 2023, when swimmers and soccer heroes took on the world and proved yet again how Australia consistently punches above its weight?

1 SAM KERR Soccer

A calf injury restricted her World Cup campaign but who will forget that stunning goal against England in the semifinal? Then there was the Ballon d’Or (for best player in the game), where she finished second. That will do me.

2 KAYLEE McKEOWN Swimming

Three individual world championship golds, plus world records in the 100m and 200m backstroke and named best female swimmer by World Aquatics.

3 TRAVIS HEAD Cricket

The blazing left hander will forever be remembered for winning the World ODI Cup with a superb catch and supreme 137 (plus he was man of the match in the semi-final).

4 NATHAN CLEARY Rugby League

One-time soccer fanatic Cleary took Penrith to a most unlikely third consecutive premiership this year after it trailed 24-8 with 16 minutes to go. The ultimate iceman.

5 MOLLIE O’CALLAGHAN Swimming

In normal circumstances, 19-year-old O’Callaghan would have been No.1 given her world championship double (100m-200m freestyle, the latter in a world record).

6 TIM TSZYU Boxing

Finally won a world title (WBO super welter) after a busy 2023 when he had three fights (Tony Harrison, Carlos Ocampo and Brian Mendoza) for three wins to remain undefeated.

7 JESSICA FOX Canoe

After winning the K1 and C1 World Cup titles in 2023, Fox, 29, sealed her spot for a fourth straight Olympics.

8 NINA KENNEDY Pole Vault

If you win world championship gold in a pursuit as hair-raising as the pole vault, then you are doing plenty right.

9 JORDAN MAILATA American football

After not playing a game for six years, what Mailata is achieving as a left tackle with the Philadelphia Eagles is the stuff of fairytales.

10 COURTNEY BRUCE Netball

Voted Australia’s best player (the Liz Ellis Award) and defensive player of the World Cup (which the Diamonds won) – netball royalty.

11 ARIARNE TITMUS Swimming

At the World Aquatic championships, Titmus brained world record holder Summer McIntosh and US legend Katie Ledecky in a 400m world record of 3min, 55.38sec.

12 JAI OPETAIA Boxing

His effort to knock out England’s

Jordan Thompson to retain his IBF cruiserweight title should not be undersold.

13 JOSH GIDDEY Basketball

Just 21 years old and plying his trade as a guard with the emerging Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA. Unlike Ben Simmons, he walks the walk and talks the talk.

14 OSCAR PIASTRI Formula One

He may not have won an F1 race, but don’t underestimate the magnitude of 22-year-old Piastri finishing third in his McLaren at the Japanese Grand Prix.

15 MINJEE LEE Golf

Although she didn’t add a major, she won twice on the LPGA Tour and finished the year No.4 in the world.

16 MARK ZAHRA Jockey

The former West Australian has become the big race king in Australia, taking the Caulfield-Melbourne Cups double on Without a Fight.

17 KYLE CHALMERS Swimming

Now an “old man” of the 100m freestyle, Chalmers, 25, swam 47.15sec in Fukuoka to add world championship gold to his Olympic and Commonwealth golds.

18 KADEN GROVES Cycling

Won three stages of the Vuelta a Espana, a stage of the Giro d’Italia and seven races in total to join our list of cycling greats.

19 HAYLEY RASO Soccer

Seventeenth in the Ballon d’Or for best female players of the year where her World Cup performances (three goals) were significant.

20 VALENTINO GUSELI Snowboarding

Never heard of him? You should have for this 18-year-old is one of only four V1 - GCBE01Z01MA people to have stood on the podium for all three disciplines (half pipe, slopestyle and Big Air).

21 CURTIS MEAD Baseball

Twenty-six Major League games with the Tampa Bay Rays shows this Adelaide slugger is on his way.

22 CAMERON McEVOY Swimming

One of five swimmers in the top 22, but when they all win at least one world championship gold, as 29year-old McEvoy did in the 50m freestyle, how do you ignore them?

23 BETH MOONEY Cricket

Australia’s female equivalent to a Travis Head-like destructive force.

24 BRODIE KOSTECKI Supercars

Six wins and 18 podium finishes from 26 races took the 26-year-old to his first Supercars championship, and the drivers’ driver of the year award.

25 JEREMY HAYWARD Field Hockey

Nominated for FIH Player of the Year after being named best defender of the World Cup plus, remarkably, top goalscorer with nine from six games.

26 NICOLA OLYSLAGERS High Jump

We are blessed to have both Olyslagers, who won three Diamond League events with a best of 2.02m, and Eleanor Patterson in this pursuit.

27 KALYN PONGA Rugby League

The 25-year-old Newcastle Knights fullback was badly concussed early in the 2023 season. After being cleared of brain damage, he returned in round 8 and still took the Dally M Medal as NRL player of the year.

28 MARCUS BONTEMPELLI AFL

There’s no international exposure or official title for the AFL’s best player, but on 2023 form, Western Bulldogs star ”The Bont” will do me as No.1.

29 MARY FOWLER Soccer

The game seems to stop when she takes possession in a match, where her vision and two-sided passing light up any pitch.

30 SAYA SAKAKIBARA BMX

The 24-year-old Queenslander won five of her 10 races to take out the UCI BMX Racing World Cup, setting her up for next year’s Paris Olympics.

31 JAMES TURNER Para Athletics

Has an amazing record since first appearing in 2016, this year taking the 100m and 400m in the T46 events at the World Para Athletics in Paris.

32 TAMIKA UPTON NRLW

Cemented her greatness by winning both the NRLW Dally M and Karryn Murphy medals for best player in Newcastle’s premiership triumph.

33 PAT CUMMINS Cricket

Not his finest year with the ball but his captaincy was instrumental in Australia’s World Cup ODI triumph, the retention of the Ashes and victory in the World Test Championship.

34 LIZ WATSON Netball

In every conversation about Australia’s greatest netball starting five and, at age 29, still has some good years ahead.

35 JUSTIS HUNI Boxing

At 24 and 193cm, Huni continued his upward spiral with a dominant win over Andrew Tabiti in Mexico for the WBA International Heavyweight title.

36 CAITLIN FOORD Soccer

The Arsenal star took over as the attacking force of the Matildas in the absence of the injured Sam Kerr at the FIFA Women’s World Cup, plus shifted to a left wing where she forged a livewire connection with left-back Steph Catley.

37 MIN WOO LEE Golf

Like his older sister Minjee, Min Woo is emerging as Australian golf’s next big thing, with Cameron Smith largely irrelevant at LIV. Two wins in 2023, plus a fifth placing in the US Open.

38 ROSIE MALONE Field Hockey

This lightning-quick 25-year-old from Burleigh Heads just continues to improve as highlighted by her nomination for FIH Player of the Year.

39 NICK DAICOS AFL

If Marcus Bontempelli is the best AFL player in the game, then the younger Daicos is set to steal his crown given his extraordinary first two years.

40 JAMES McDONALD Jockey

‘J-Mac’ sits comfortably with the best in the business as he rapidly approaches 100 Group 1 wins at age 31, meaning Damien Oliver’s Australian record of 128 is reachable.

41 ALEXANDER VOLKANOVSKI UFC

Just one win from three fights for ”The Volk” in 2023, but at his right weight and with the right preparation, he remains one of the best in the business.

42 MONIQUE CONTI AFLW

A runaway winner of the AFLW best and fairest, and importantly her win was greeted with total acknowledgment given the respect in which she is held.

43 CAYLA GEORGE Basketball

Took the MVP in Australia’s domestic competition (WNBL) before adding a WNBA title to her CV with Las Vegas Aces.

44 CHARLIE CURNOW AFL

Won his second straight Coleman Medal with an imposing 81 goals – a rare tally in today’s game. Just needs some big numbers in finals.

45 STEPH CATLEY Soccer

Her profile rose sharply off the back of the World Cup where her non-stop running and goal prowess helped us to the semis.

46 REECE WALSH Rugby League

Brisbane’s electrifying fullback is the product of wonderful sporting genes from an Indigenous father and Maori mother. At 21, just how far can he go?

47 NATHAN LYON Cricket

His Ashes injury overshadowed one of his finest Test years where he took 38 wickets from just eight matches at 24.63 with a strike-rate of 52.15 – seriously good for an off-spinner.

48 JASMINE GARNER AFLW

Monique Conti deservedly won the AFLW best and fairest, but when players were asked to pick the best player in 2023, Garner was given the nod over Conti.

49 ASH GARDNER Cricket

Has a strong claim to be recognised as the world’s best all-rounder in all forms of the game via her explosive batting and clever off-spinners.

50 ETHAN EWING Surfing

The 25-year-old from North Stradbroke Island was super consistent without winning enough to lift himself from second in the world championship behind Brazilian superstar Filipe Toledo.